We Don't Rent Puppies

Time for Fun

2011-09-30T07:23:00.009-05:00

Will it ever rain here in Southeast Texas? Will it ever cool down? Will we ever see a decrease in the intake numbers at our Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter? I don't have the answers to these troubling questions, so I offer these tidbits from around the Interwebs.

First, from "Married to the Sea--The Champagne of Comics":

From Flickr:

From The Historic LOLs site:

Have a bark-a-licious Friday!

Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet

2011-09-18T12:23:00.006-05:00

Petfinder.com is hosting an "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable Pet" adoption campaign this month, September 17-25, 2011. Below is a video link on YouTube produced by the editors of "Life + Dog", a glossy pet-owner "lifestyle" magazine.

I have a "less-adoptable" foster dog--Sassy, a 3-year-old black Chihuahua girl who is afraid of the camera, pudgy, bossy, snippy and black-coated--all things that work against her chances of adoption. Sassy came into "Operation Pets Alive" from a vet's office, where a client took her, saying they found her. The veterinarian spayed and vaccinated her. She is heartworm negative and is on prevention.

Sassy doesn't do well at off-sites, although I keep taking her to them. She jumps and snips against her crate warn people that she's nervous, and she lunges at other dogs in a show of bravado. Sassy needs a home with an owner who understands how to correct a dominant small dog and integrate her into the household. I have worked with her diligently and she's doing much better. While she could be placed with a household with other dogs, she would not be a good choice for families with small children--and, of course, children are immediately drawn to her because she has fluffy black fur.

I hope to place Sassy soon so I can take another foster in for "Operation Pets Alive".

I Beg to Differ

2011-08-11T10:23:00.007-05:00

This post is in response to a blog post by Shannon Hill, which you should read first here.

These are my opinions, but I hope they will stimulate a unified response.

Regardless of the individual opinions of the “inactive” volunteers, it is childish to keep pointing fingers and playing one-upmanship games that make one group of volunteers look “better” than another. We should fling off our martyrdom cloaks and work together.

Shannon:

As one of your so-called “inactive” volunteers, I submit that one doesn’t have to be “at the shelter” every minute of every day in order to address the needs of homeless animals in Montgomery County.

I’d like to share my thoughts with you and your blog readers about this.

Many people, including the “inactive” volunteers, are out working within the community to prevent animals from coming into the shelter.

If the intake numbers are reduced, I think we can all agree that would be good for the animals already in the shelter. To this end, I (along with others) have been working in a different set of “trenches”.

Please do not assume that we hesitate to spend countless hours and our own money to rescue, vet, foster and place homeless animals. Just like the shelter volunteers you describe in the list below, we:

• Foster animals
• Clean cages
• Take photos of animals
• Bathe animals
• Walk animals
• Run adoption events
• Deal with the public
• Organize donations
• Spend our own money to donate supplies.

Specifically, here’s what we, those supposedly “inactive” volunteers, are doing.

We’re working with another animal welfare group to sign up pet owners in the East County/New Caney for extremely low-cost or free spay/neuters using both the services of Spay Houston and the MCAS. In many cases, we have helped out with transportation for those who need it. We have assisted with more than 200 spay/neuter voucher redemptions in the past 9 months. These programs currently target larger dogs (30 to 60 pound or more), dogs who typically have large litters (8-12 puppies). In reviewing the animals-received lists produced by MCAS, and available to everyone (“inactive” or not) I have seen the tubs, boxes and crates filled with large-breed puppies that arrive at the shelter on a disturbingly regular basis. I hope that the shelter staff and “active” volunteers appreciate and see the value in reducing the number of unaltered dogs. Our typical voucher user is a pet-owner, often with multiple dogs, who cannot afford to shoulder the typical vet’s cost of $300 or so for a large-dog spay. Many of these dogs have already had litters, and our clients are relieved that they don’t have to deal with any more “oopsie” litters.

We have conducted trap-neuter-release of feral cats in the south county, dealing with several colonies, and placing dozens of kittens that have been socialized by our fosters. As we all know, kittens have a much better chance at survival if they never set paw into the shelter. TNR keeps cats out of the shelter and reduces the need to kill feral adult cats.

We have established a "Flight for Life" program. Our “inactive” volunteers have worked with “active” volunteers to take long-term dogs (many in the Diamonds in the Ruff) program out of the shelter and put them in foster homes, were they are vet- and temperament-checked (paid for by use) and then into our “Flight for Life” program. The Flight for Life program sends qualified animals (via cash donations) by small plane transport to a shelter in New Hampshire for placement. While this program is small, the novelty of transporting by plane has raised public awareness about the needs of long-term dogs in the shelter.

We have picketed and talked with roadside breeders, who market dogs with little legal oversight. We are working to address Texas laws that affect the welfare of all animals both in and out of the Shelter.

We have had several long-term dogs from the shelter enter our foster system. The balance of animals in our program come from county citizens who otherwise would take these animals to shelter, thus adding to the intake numbers.

As for me, I’ve spent a lot of times working in the “trenches” of the civic-government end to encourage public-funded entities to improve their animal sheltering programs.

In my experience, politicians are overjoyed when volunteers bicker among themselves because then the politicians don’t have to make any changes. Plus, our civic processes allow for expression in public forums whether we agree with everything that is said or not.

Furthermore, privatization of public entities is often a good thing.

However, the process needs to be transparent, and we need to know with some certainty just how the potential bidders plan to improve the shelter.

Certainly, the shelter has improved, and kill rates have gone from 80% or more to about 49%, based on the public numbers on the County website.

However, when my college-age boy insists that a “C” (a 50% save rate) is a lot better than a “D-" (a 20% save rate), like most parents, I’m not satisfied. I'm not paying hard-earned cash for C performance. A 50% is not a "good grade”. In fact, at the The Woodlands High School, a 50% is a failing grade. Likewise, I'm sure that the animals on the losing end of the 50% rate don't represent a successful outcome.

It is not an unreasonable to or hostile request to ask the shelter operations bidders to demonstrate publicly how to improve the statistics for dogs and cats at the shelter. It’s simply prudent.

There are multiple ways to improve the lives of our homeless animals. Working in “the trenches” at the shelter is not enough.

All our efforts are necessary. We can keep fighting amongst ourselves, about “active” and “inactive” or we can take responsibility to address the broader spectrum of factors that affect our shelter and the animals inside.

Like you, I want to improve the lives of animals in our shelter and in our community. I am proud that I'm actively involved in doing so.

Just because I'm not at the shelter, don't discount my efforts.

Our Typical Situation

2011-04-26T09:00:00.003-05:00

Here in Montgomery County, Texas, we have a mix of high-end surburban communities (The Woodlands), farm-and-ranch remnants, trailer parks, "ranchette" (non-agricultural acreage properties) and newer tract housing. Our typical intake at the Shelter is not an indoor pet that can no longer be cared for by its owner. Instead, our typical intake is an unintended litter from the mating of free-roaming, unaltered neighborhood dogs. These animals are typically found in the rural fringes of our county, and may or may not be considered pets. I am defining "pet" the way PetsMart or your favorite high-end "companion animal" lifestyle magazine defines "pet".

The video below represents a fairly common situation--the owners don't have the funds or transportation to spay or neuter their dogs, and have limited abilities to provide proper whelping care. Several litters just like this one arrive at the Shelter every week. This is the reality behind many of the dogs in the Shelter runs:

As the volunteer for Operation Pets Alive, a non-profit animal welfare group that serves Montgomery County, "This litter of puppies born to 2 free roaming unaltered neighborhood dogs. Found while OPA volunteer was working to TNR a feral cat colony. The owner does not have a car, money, or a job. OPA desperately needs foster homes to move these dogs into. They will all receive vaccinations and will be deworm. They could be ready for the next OPA Flight for Life departing May 14th but have to start their required vaccinations within the next 4 days."

I will provide an update on this litter ASAP.

Just for Fun

2011-03-25T21:54:00.003-05:00

This hilarious video was posted on Facebook by "Operation Pets Alive!". It is a must-watch! And be sure to read the film-maker's explanation about how they got the dogs to do this. The video was shot in one unedited take! If only my dogs had such good manners! If only my children did!

Our neighbor sent us this cell phone shot of their cat, Bentley, enjoying the scenery in Florida from the back seat of their SUV. It's amazing that he rides so calmly!

Will Shame Work?

2011-03-16T14:58:00.004-05:00

This photo by M. Harris of Montgomery County, Texas, Animal Shelter is new this week. I don't know whether to cry or use inappropriate adult language.

This was posted on Harris's Facebook page (here) and has already garnered more than a dozen comments. Some people suggested putting up a second sign showing adoptions. Harris's response to that was, "Then they'd only see the adoption number and [think] this would be a great place to 'rehome' their pet." Unfortunately, I agree with her.

While this sign offers a dose of reality, the fact is that the ones most emotionally moved by the number will be those who are already struggling to reduce the intake through fostering and rescuing. The Pollyana part of me begs to differ, but the cynical side of me doubts seriously that the average client who wants to surrender (or turn in) a pet will be moved to reconsider things. What do you think?

Happy Mardi Gras!

2011-03-08T18:01:00.003-06:00

From Gretna, Louisiana, and PAWdi Gras 2006, my little dog, Cross, models her hand-made "Mardi Gras" outfit, complete with sequins and funky fringe. She wore this under duress.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

(Let the Good Times Roll!)

And throw the dogs a biscuit, mister!

Mark for Spring Bark

2011-03-01T08:52:00.004-06:00

I so want this logo on a tee-shirt! And this year, I get to go--I'll be with Operation Pets Alive, right in the thick of the action.

Flight for Life Sends 20 Dogs to NH

2011-02-28T14:40:00.004-06:00

Here's a video about Operation Pets Alive! and Cloud Nine's second "Flight for Life", which sent 20 rescued dogs from Montgomery County, Texas, to a Shelter partner in New Hampshire. Thanks to all who helped make this flight possible!

From Operation Pets Alive's Facebook site, February 28, 2011:
"BIG THANK YOU to Lone Star Animal Welfare League (formerly The Woodlands Dog Park Club) for funding OPA'S recent FLIGHT FOR LIFE!! Without your generosity 12 shelter dogs would not have the same chance for adoption that they now have. In fact, 7 "short listed" dogs were in urgent need of "saving". Way to step up and take action!! In addition, this flight allowed OPA to keep 6 pups out of the shelter and give them a great chance of finding a wonderful home! Hats off to you!"

What I've Been Doing

2011-02-27T11:14:00.027-06:00

My dogs don't blog. They just make poops.

Not only has it been four months since I've posted, Blogger ate the first version of this post instead of uploading it, so all my brilliant thoughts have been lost to the ether of the Interwebs and I am forced to reconstruct a long post!

Time flies. I don't have any excuses for not posting. I've been doing Dog Lady work. I just haven't posted. The reality is that once you break the habit, the longer you wait to get back to the blog, the tougher it is. Therefore, I am resolved not to take such a long break in the future.

Min Pins are like "Pringles"--you can't have just one.

The little Min Pin foster puppy I've had since my last post in 2010 is still with me. She is not--and let me be clear about this!--a foster failure. She just hasn't met the right family yet. "Cricket," as we call her now, is stinkin' cute and very, very busy. She needs a family who is experienced in Min Pin antics and would do best in a situation where she doesn't have to be crated for 12 hours a day (she is a smarty-pants escape artist and can unlatch the crate so I have to use carabiner to close it). Cricket would appreciate a canine playmate as well.

Her cast came off in January, and she's doing great, although her right paw is smaller than the left and she still favors the leg at times (out of habit or what, I'm not sure). She's matured into a tornado of energy with a chewing habit that is driving us nuts: glasses, iPod earbuds, dozens of mechanical pencils, books, papers, and two bag's worth of daily CT Hex dental treats. She'll find her home, now that it's warmer at the Off-Sites.

My dear friend, the passionate and tireless Marcia P., who stepped down in late 2010 as Off-site Coordinator for the Shelter, has launched her own animal-rescue group. Although still in its fledgling stage (the 501 c 3 status is pending) Operation Pets Alive!: Helping People Save Pets has already accrued a list of accomplishments, including sponsoring foster-only Off-sites, TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) of stray cats in several Montgomery County areas, and two "Flights for Life that send dogs from the Shelter to New Hampshire for adoption.

Courtesy of Operation Pets Alive!: Helping People Save Pets

The second Flight for Life is in the air as I re-construct this post--leaving from Conroe, TX with 20 dogs on board, including 12 Shelter dogs, two dogs from All-Texas Dachshund Rescue, and six puppies rescued by OPA. The dogs were bathed and loaded by volunteers. The pilot and plane are funded by generous gifts from friends and volunteers at OPA. What a thrill these dogs, including six long-term (over 90 days) dogs from the MCTAS Shelter will have when they find new homes.

In other efforts, OPA has partnered with Susan Herbert, founder of K-9 Corral, a wonderful rescue group that has placed more than 3,500 animals, to ramp up Herbert's program to provide free and low-cost spay/neuters for owners of large (over 30 pounds) dogs in New Caney, TX, a once-rural, but now rapidly growing region of Eastern Montgomery County. Herbert has secured grants to provide vouchers to be used at Spay Houston, a wellness clinic that does low-cost shots and spay/neuters in Houston, TX.

Spay Houston's fees are much lower than area veterinarian offices, making it possible for Houston residents to take action against unwanted litters. In 2010, K-9 Corral's Herbert handled 239 free or very low-cost operations by providing qualifying New Caney residents with vouchers.

In January, OPA stepped in as a partner, providing professionally printed signs and flyers, along with volunteers who went door-to-door in targeted neighborhoods to spread the word about the vouchers. With OPA's assistance, Herbert manned tables at her local Wal-Mart. I helped for three Sunday afternoons, chatting with interested people about the program while Herbert filled out the paperwork. It was fulfilling and fun to connect these residents with a program that lifts the burden of cost. Many people could afford the Spay Houston rates for their small dogs or cats if they could get a voucher for their larger pets. K-9 Corral has done 157 operations so far this year, a testimony to the need for such programs.

Below is the draft logo I designed for OPA. It wasn't selected as the final logo, but I think it's spiffy. You can see a button-sized version of the final logo in my sidebar. I don't have a high-res image yet.

So I've been busy, and my Dog Lady Stetson is still getting a lot of use. I'm looking forward to more opportunities to help pets in 2011. Leave me a note and let me know what things have been happening in your parts! I resolve not to leave this blog unattended in the future!

Puppy Perils

2010-11-19T11:34:00.005-06:00

This is "Dezi", who is harder to "dress" than a Barbie doll. The red sweater is held on with the pink harness. The jingle bell helps me find her. The Cone of Shame keeps her from chewing on her cast. She can still move at the speed of light. Thanks to Allie, of "Hyperbole and a Half" for giving me the courage to post one of my pencil sketches, tweaked in Photoshop Elements 6.

Question: What goes "Tick, tick, jingle, tick.....jingle...click, yip, yip, yip."?

Answwer: A Miniature Pinscher with a cast on her front leg.

I do not normally foster puppies. I admit this. I prefer adult dogs. I don't have a puppy-proof house or yard, although my yard is escape-proof.

So when I came home with this 5.2 pound black-and-tan puppy with a broken leg, I assumed that I'd be able to keep up with her. I mean, how fast can a tiny dog with a huge plaster splint around her front leg move?

The puppy, cast and all, fell in my pool, right off the bat. I had to take her back to the Vet to have a new cast put on because she got completely soaked. I paid for it of course.

I swear, I was watching her, but she darted around or behind me (or transported herself through space) in a couple seconds while we were walking around the pool back to the house.

When I figured out that she wasn't next to me, I saw my own oversize MinPin, Chopper, staring intently at the pool, ears cocked, and the puppy was paddling--quite well, actually--to keep her head above water.

Which makes me wonder how on Earth puppies ever make it to adulthood at all.

Dezi, as she is named, is almost impossible to keep up with. Her cast doesn't slow her down at all--without it I'm sure she would move at warp speed.

Things I have removed from her tiny puppy mouth: computer cords, lamp cords, a bit of celery that dropped on the floor, twist ties, sparkly purple stuff from something that must belong to my daughter.

She can climb up stairs, but not down--the Cone of Shame that she must wear to keep her from chewing on her bandages limits her vision.

She can get on the couch (she couldn't do this last week when I brought her home but she has grown, as puppies tend to do). She annoys Cross, my fluffy dog. She gets run over by Chopper because he zooms around snorking up things from the floors like a Dustbuster with legs.

She thinks my husband is the most wonderful man in the world and when he walks in the door, she hops up and down like she's just pounded three Red Bulls. Then, she falls asleep in my arms and snuggles her head into my shirtsleeve and sighs a happy, happy puppy sigh. She is absolutely adorable.

Just for Fun

2010-11-17T13:07:00.005-06:00

Allie's adopted dog really wants to please, if only she knew how!

My daughter had me read a post on "Hyperbole and a Half", a zippy, irreverent blog by "Allie" last night, while I was in the middle of struggling over how to summarize my current volunteer situation. I haven't laughed so hard all week!

Allie's adventures with her adopted dog and her amazing drawings done with MS Paint (the simplest drawing program for a computer) are spot-on, to work a well-worn pun! Read through her "Dog" post and enjoy!

-*-
Drawing courtesy of "Hyperbole and a Half"

Back on Track

2010-11-16T20:52:00.006-06:00

I have been away from my blog for three reasons:
1. My 16-year-old daughter had Marching Band Competitions from early October through the first week of November.
2. My Off-Site Coordinator and dear friend, Ms. M. stepped down from volunteer Team Lead for the Montgomery County Animal Shelter at the end of September.
3. The Shelter has undergone many shifts and changes, and I've been completely out of the loop.

-*-
On November 9th, I found a home for the wonderful Mrs. Puff. A fellow Band Mom adopted her, and Mrs. Puff has already been Vet-checked and had treatment for her teeth. Mrs. Puff had 7 teeth pulled and is on a KD Diet and has trimmed down almost a pound since her arrival at the Shelter in late July. My friend is going to start PetsMart training with Mrs. Puff at the end of the month. Like many Chihuahuas, Mrs. Puff didn't know anything about leashes and had no real obedience skills. So this spry, 10-year-old girl will soon learn how to sit and heel! And since it is an "open adoption", Mrs. Puff may visit our house for dog-sitting when my friend is traveling.

I have a new foster--a very bouncy, cute-as-can-be black-and-tan Miniature Pinscher puppy. "Desiree" came to my house the day after Mrs. Puff left. She is about 4.5 months old and weighs 5.2 pounds with the cast on her broken right front leg. She arrived at the Shelter with the injury, along with dark blue paint on her toenails. She was someone's pet but wasn't claimed. Our Shelter has a less-than-stellar return-to-owner rate. Desiree has to wear the cast (and the Cone of Shame) for about 8 weeks. She'll visit the Vet who did the surgery, which included a pin to hold the bones in her leg in place, next week for a check-up.

My own dogs are doing well--Chopper had his two heartworm shots and is at the end of his one-month of rest. And Cross is still a sweetie, although she needs an appointment at the groomer's to trim off her shaggies.

-*-
I have removed this blog from my Facebook account via Networked Blogs. I made the decision after receiving a message from the acting Shelter Director regarding some numbers I quoted about the euthanizations of cats over the summer. I made it clear in the post (see September 16th) where I got the information: "Meanwhile, the Shelter is overrun with kittens and cats. I heard, unofficially, that approximately 1,000 cats and kittens have made the trip to the EU room in the past few weeks."

The response from the Shelter Director was first posted on my Facebook wall, then later removed and sent to me via a Facebook message:

"Your 'unofficial' information about 1000 dogs/cats going to the EU room was very, very inaccurate. Since I know you care about the dogs who may not realize when people who don't know us read those things and may think we're a high kill shelter and we are NOT..and may choose not the help us. As you know, community support is vital to saving animals."

The number of EUs per month is listed on the County's website under Archives. I checked the numbers here: http://www.co.montgomery.tx.us/animal/search/reportarchive.htm. Unless the County's own numbers are inaccurate, my qualified statement (regarding cats only, since that is what I was writing about in the two sentences I devoted to the subject) was not overstated. According to the County, 600 cats were euthanized in July 2010, while in August, 233 cats were euthanized due to space/behavior issues (the County is instituting new, more specific labeling criteria). An additional 207 cats were euthanized in August due to sickness or injury. These numbers match closely with the numbers from my "unofficial" sources.

At the time Shelter Director's response arrived in my email, things were up in the air at the Shelter and rumors were flying loose and fast. Two months later, things have settled down and Constable Tim Holifield, the public official in charge of the Shelter (in theory, the buck stops with him), has made some changes and put some positive spin on things. I'm not criticizing, just stating my opinion, based on the communications sent out to volunteers.

Meanwhile, my friend, Ms. M., has been on an information-gathering safari, rounding up no-kill sheltering models, including the benchmarks used by Austin Pets Alive. It is Ms. M's opinion that actual progress toward becoming a "No-Kill" Shelter is minimal at best.

The Constable wrote in a volunteer newsletter circulated in mid-October:

"WE ARE COMMITTED TO BECOMING A 'NO-KILL SHELTER'!
As we progress to the status of 'No Kill', we must first successfully pass a multitude of milestones, each having their important place in every 'No Kill' Shelter. To my knowledge, in the State of Texas there are none that are government owned. The difficulty with a government owned facility is the lack of ability to decide which animals will be accepted or refused.
It is the position of staff, volunteers and animal lovers alike of moving Montgomery County Animal Shelter closer and closer until we reach the ultimate goal of a 'No Kill Shelter'. We believe there are several components to reaching this goal and simply overcrowding a kennels with 3+ animals and watching them get sick, while claiming to be 'No Kill' except for sick animals is not the answer."

I'm clueless as to whether these statements represent true commitment or the usual political blather. We'll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, I'm fostering the Miniature Pinscher for the Friends of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter (FMCTAS), a fund-raising non-profit group that provides money for medical expenses and other needs that fall through the cracks at the Shelter. Although Desiree is an adorable dog, I'm not sure why she wasn't placed with a rescue, in particular, with the Texas Chapter of Internet Miniature Pinscher Service (IMPS) which does fabulous work foster, re-habbing and placing Min-Pins. The FMCTAS has spent a lot on this sweet girl (and we can only keep praying she doesn't get distemper) but if she is placed as an MCAS pet, she'll be adopted out for $75.00 at best.

While there have been days I've stood in the Adoption Rooms and wished we had some purebred dogs instead of 80 pit-lab mixes and hyper Cattle Dogs, I know we probably need to focus on moving as many animals out of the Shelter as possible. Getting dogs (and cats) into rescue is vital.

-*-

So, faithful readers, I'm back on track, even if I don't know where I will be serving as a volunteer. For now, fostering is fine. Ms M. is working on some new directions and I plan to be involved with that, too, even if I'm not able to help with the ground-floor planning due to some other personal commitments. Please bear with me and stay tuned!

October Multi-Tasking

2010-10-24T19:14:00.011-05:00

This is an iPhone photo of a Street Dog in Peru.
You can tell he's got severe mange. I'm not sure why he's wearing the shirt.
I can't wait to hear the story from my friend when our Church group returns from Peru.

I have had a whirlwind of October activities that have kept me away from doing Off-Site adoptions, thus the paucity of posts. I feel a bit like I've got a dog like the one in the photo below chasing after me!

Goofy dog trailer hitch cover seen at the Texas Renaissance Festival.

I had to take off my "Dog Lady" cowboy hat and don my "Band Mom" hat. My 16-year-old daughter plays mellophone (a marching-style French Horn) in The Woodlands High School Marching Band, and October is the busiest Band month.

This is my "Band Mom" Hat. My "Dog Lady" Hat is a brown Stetson cowboy hat.

There are football games, practices, competitions, auditions and fundraisers. We spend a lot of time on yellow school buses. We stand in lines, sit on stadium seats and cheer our Band kids on. They are super kids--dedicated, funny, and unfailing polite. They just earned a first place in their UIL Area Division, competing against 30 Bands to earn the privilege to go to the Texas State UIL Marching competition to be held next week in San Antonio. I will load up my three dogs (Chopper, Cross and my sweet foster, Mrs. Puff) to head to my Mom's house in Spring Branch (close to New Braunsfels). We'll leave the dogs with my Dad to babysit the pack--a total of seven dogs, including four Chihuahuas--and go watch the Bands participate in two separate competitions.

Chopper in a quiet pose. Soon his Heartworms will be history!

We've had a lot of transitions and changes at the Shelter lately, but there's one great bit of news--the Shelter has begun offering the Heartworm treatment to the adopters and fosters on the six-page waiting list. The treatments were halted in early summer for a number of reasons (cost, vaccine availability, staffing issues, etc.) but are now being offered.

I had a part in this--my newly adopted dog, Chopper, was heartworm positive, so I have been asking, and asking again, when the treatments would begin again. I got the call this week to bring him in for a two-day, two-shot protocol. Now the issue will be keeping a bouncy, squirrel-chasing 18-pound Miniature Pinscher quiet for a month!

I'm still fostering the amazing Mrs. Puff, the elderly but very spunky owner-surrender Chihuahua. My daughter wants to keep her. I love her dearly and she's a very easy dog. My dogs love her, too. But a fellow Band Mom has met her and wants to adopt her after the hub-bub of our competitive season is done in about two weeks. My friend recently lost her own elderly dog and has taken quite a shine to Mrs. Puff. I told my daughter we can go visit Mrs. Puff and even take her a Christmas present later this year!

I'm looking forward to getting back into my Dog Lady volunteer work. I'm excited about some new volunteer opportunities that are on the horizon, and look forward to helping new foster dogs find homes. I received an email from the Shelter noting that we'll be participating in the Home for the Holidays program again this year--it's one of my favorite national tie-in programs.

No-Kill Austin & More

2010-10-03T23:08:00.002-05:00

It's been busy around here--last week I spent a whole day in Austin, TX (a three-hour hike from my house) attending the "No-Kill Austin" conference, which promised appearances by Nathan Winograd and other big names in the "No-Kill Community". Winograd couldn't attend, but the roster of speakers offered several hands-on topics by folks from various Shelters, including The Animal Ark, of Hastings, MN. I had to find pet-sitting for my two dogs and one foster (thanks so much, Ms. Anne, a wonderful animal advocate!) and arrange for my 16-year-old daughter to pick my dogs up in the evening. I rode up with two volunteers from the Shelter, including my dear friend, Ms. M., who has been the Off-Site Team Coordinator for the Shelter volunteers.

Ms. M. has, after a great deal of thought and with sadness, decided to step down as Coordinator, a volunteer position she's held (actually, more like has "lived") for two years. Ms. M. has spent more than four years dedicated to the animals of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. It's better to let her explain things herself, as written in her formal resignation letter to the volunteers:

For four years, I have been working to lower the killing at this facility by volunteering. For the last two years, I have been supporting the shelter’s stated goal of becoming a no-kill* facility by leading a team of volunteers working to establish a key component, a Comprehensive Adoption Program. Let me stop here and say thank you to all of you that have worked along side toward this goal. We would not have been successful without you.

September ended my second year in this team lead role. The team has accomplished much in the last two years

-- We have built a team of 300+ adoption volunteers and 53 trained off-site adoption coordinators.
-- Over 2700 animals are now “out-of-shelter” from off-site venues due to our efforts.
-- More than $20,000 in donations and merchandise has been raised for MCAS animals.
-- We have held over 1000 adoption events throughout Montgomery County.
-- Our adoption coordinators have contributed over 2 man-years of service to the County (just physically sitting at adoption events).
-- We have worked with over 80 businesses and agencies in Montgomery County.
-- Our second year we have increased performance in each of the above categories over first year results.
--We have planned events, arranged animal transport, solicited donations of all equipment, tracked our results, participated in marketing, and maintained websites to communicate event schedules to fosters and volunteers
-- We have, as a team, made a concerted effort to help MCAS staff with adoption support functions like help with kennel cards, animal inventories, tracking long-term animals, heartworm and FeLuk testing, on-line inquiries and data input for off-site adoptions.

However, I cannot support the current change in direction to a “low-kill” goal. We can do better and the animals depend on us to do so. A no-kill goal is non-negotiable. Our resources are too valuable to expend on a lesser goal.

We need:

--Leadership that believes it is possible to save all savable animals while maintaining quality of life for each and is dedicated to achieving this goal.

--Full implementation all of the programs as identified in the No-Kill Equation (http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/pdf/Equation_000.pdf).

--A means by which volunteers can participate in the development of policies and programs for their shelter.

--An adoption program that is a primary shelter program with substantive shelter support.

Animal inventories that are accurate (including fail-proof identification of animals) and used as the basis for formulating needed programs & marketing strategies.

--Kennel cards that are complete, informative (including owner turn-in information) and accurate.

--Promised adoption services provided in an efficient manner so that animals can be competitively marketed to the public.

--A fail-proof system to assure Spay/Neuter compliance.

-- Appropriate goals set and progress toward them measured and communicated publicly.

It is time to get serious about implementing the only programs shown to be effective in saving all savable animals while maintaining quality of life. Shelters that have accomplished this say that it does not take four years or five years nor does it does require privatization. It does require the right goals, a determined, accountable management & staff and an engaged public, working diligently, and with integrity, to organize this shelter to support all necessary programs. I’m sure that this is possible for MCAS.

-*-

The selfish part of me wants her to continue. But Ms. M. is adamant that the management of the MC Animal Shelter has reneged on promises to dedicate resources toward making the Shelter no-kill. I understand her concerns, and hope that I'll be able to work with her in her next endeavor. For the moment, she plans to take a well-deserved sabbatical and spend time with her family.

I have had the honor of working with Ms. M. for almost two years, and her dedication and energy has always amazed me. I will miss doing Off-Sites with her. It won't be the same.

At any rate, I'm not exactly sure what my future with the Shelter will be--right now I am in a "hold" pattern due to High School Band commitments through the end of October.

I have one foster dog, the awesome Chihuahua senior, Mrs. Puff. I'm working to find her a home. She is a great dog who deserves her own home. Of course, she thinks she already has a home. Here she is scratching a food dish to let me know that a treat might be appropriate.

My other Chihuahua foster, the incorrigible but cute "L'il Dude" is now with Dakota Rescue. He'll get neutered then he'll be put up for adoption. I delivered him to his new foster mom in late September. I'll post an update when I have one.

Meanwhile, my own dog, Chopper, recently adopted from the Shelter, came inside one day with a severe squint in his left eye. I figured he'd poked himself on the shrubbery while trying to get at the neighbor's Labradoodle on the other side of the fence. When the squint didn't ease up, I decided to take him to my Vet. Dr. Williams did a stain and we saw a 2mm "hole" in the cornea. I had to administered antibiotic eye drops and tablets, but the hole has healed quickly and Chopper is back to his normal self.

No Kill vs Train-Wreck Dogs

2010-09-16T22:37:00.002-05:00

This dog is probably a great dog.

Photo and caption by Angela Palance,a tireless advocate for the dogs at the Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter.

I'll be honest: I'm not a total convert to Nathan Winograd's vision of a No-Kill Nation. It's not that I don't want all Shelters to be "no-kill", but it's that I'm not convinced it is an achievable goal. Or even the right goal. But Winograd and his supporters brand folks like me as "part of the problem." We're the "nay-sayers," blocking the path to a swoony no-kill paradise where puppies and kittens are loved forever and ever in homes that make PetsMart managers giddy with joy.

Just because I have some reservations, doubts or unanswered questions shouldn't make me the enemy. I've put a lot of sweat and tears in animal rescue work. I look at what flows through the doors of the Shelter and wonder what compels us to insist that dogs like the ones below are "adoptable."

Here is a sample of what you'll find in the Adoption Rooms this week:

Pit Bull mixes with heavy heartworm.
Untrained, barely socialized young Lab mixes who will yank your arms from the sockets.
Elderly Labs who aren't housebroken.
Anxiety-riddled Rat Terriers.
Chihuahuas that look like genetic mish-mashes.

Checkers is falling apart in the Shelter. I can't foster him until my husband leaves for his next business trip because this poor little guy is so anxious he just can't stop barking. It's Shelter stress.

Most of our dogs have at least one and often more health conditions, including (but not limited to) mange, flea dermatitis, giardia, worms, or bad teeth. And almost all of our dogs come with unknown (and unknowable) health and behavioral histories.

Who in their right mind wants these dogs? Who on earth can afford to treat and care for these dogs?

And don't think I'm just a heartless cynic. I know what these dogs cost because I just adopted one, my Miniature Pinscher, Chopper, who joined our pack this summer. Chopper was an ideal adoptable candidate from our Shelter. He was already neutered when he arrived, and he received a rabies booster, a heartworm test, microchip, and the Parvo-Distemper shot, plus Strongid for worms.

Chopper, my own personal (and much-loved) train-wreck dog.

However, Chopper is heartworm positive--so I need $400 to $600 to treat that. He's got one rotten tooth that needs to be pulled at some point (say, $300 or so if I get the tartar scraped while he's under), plus he was positive for giardia. Once my adoption was final, I spent $300 getting Chopper Vet-checked, including a leptospirosis vaccine, fecal smear, urine culture and a blood work panel to make sure he can handle the heartworm treatment and the tooth-removal. I bought two antibiotics, heartworm prevention tabs, flea meds and a round of de-wormer. These were not out-of-the-ordinary expenses.

Nathan Winograd can talk all he wants about "no-kill" policies, but the one hitch in his giddy-up, the thing that he doesn't address in his best-seller "Redemption," is whether all those wonderful Americans who would love to add a pet to their household are actually willing to put in the financial and physical work it takes to bring a Shelter dog around. At the rate people keep bringing dogs in for owner-surrender, I don't think the American public is near as dog-friendly as Winograd paints it to be.

Li'l Dude, an un-altered Chihuahua boy is my latest foster. He weighs all of six pounds. He is anxious and very needy. While crated for four hours, he managed to bend the wires on this crate with his teeth, and he chewed up the bed into 2-inch pieces of foam, plus, he got the plastic tray scooted part-way out so he could "push" the crate across the room. He got hold of a cord to a foot control to the sewing machine (after "pushing" the crate) and chewed that up ($89--and I can't tell my husband), then he somehow finagled the door open and left poop surprises upstairs. He was a very naughty boy.
To top it all off, he's not yet housebroken. And he's a pushy little guy 'cause he's hung like a Clydesdale and has enough testosterone to equip a baseball team. Since Li'l Dude needs to gain weight before he can be neutered, it's going to be awhile before he loses his family jewels. I'm in conversation with a rescue group who might be able to take him.

Shelter dogs are no bargain. In fact, they are a gamble. And the Shelter doesn't offer guarantees.

Consider the heartworm issue. Our Shelter was offering the heartworm treatment vaccine for heartworm positive dogs, but that program has been tabled due to the expense to the County. Most likely, I'll be paying for the treatment at retail prices. Meanwhile, at the Shelter, our current dog population is running about 40 percent heartworm positive. So step right up and get yourself a dog, but be prepared to spend some serious money--and shoulder the risks that come with heartworm treatment. At least the dog will love you back.

And just so you don't think I'm totally against the good news as preached by Winograd, I'm signed up to go to the No-Kill Austin conference at the end of September. I'm willing to listen and be convinced.

Shelter Update

2010-09-09T08:37:00.002-05:00

We're working hard at the Shelter to get dogs and cats into fur-ever homes. However, sometimes it feels like an uphill battle.

Little Pic-a-Pepper

On Labor Day, I adopted "Pepper", my spunky little tri-color Chihuahua foster boy. He's going to a home with a puppy mill-Papillon for a friend, and at-home owner who wanted a Chihuahua best friend. Pepper hardly gave me a second glance as he left!

Then, yesterday, I was waiting to see the Shelter Vet, Dr. D. He was conferring with a new adopter who had brought in a sweet Lab-mix puppy named Maya. The dog was lethargic, shut down, feverish and wouldn't do much more than sleep, plus was suffering from loose stools and poor appetite. When the pup's eyes began oozing green goop, the owner brought the dog in to try and figure out the problem. The prognosis wasn't good--most likely distemper (Even I could tell--the dog's nose was runnning, and the pup had that stunned, woozy-eyed "Big D" look). Dr. D. recommended euthanization, which at that point, was wise. The owner agreed, on the condition (of course) that he could come back in a week or so to choose another dog.

Meanwhile, the Shelter is overrun with kittens and cats. I heard, unofficially, that approximately 1,000 cats and kittens have made the trip to the EU room in the past few weeks.

We're running a big Off-Site push at four different PetsMart locations this week, as part of PetsMart's "Second Chance at Love" promotion. The PetsMart Charities are giving larger donations to the Shelter for each pet adopted from September 6th through the 12th. We're struggling with getting volunteers to work the weekday Off-sites--most have day jobs. I've been hauling dogs and working Off-sites all week and am exhausted. My house is a wreck, and my husband is ready to throw a big ol' hissy fit. Rain from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hermione has slowed everything down. Today, the storms have departed Houston, but the humidity and mosquitoes are back.

I brought home a tiny, russet-red boy Chihuahua last night. I took him to Off-site, then realized too late that he was ill. He is very underweight, has upper respitory and God knows what else. Plus he's un-altered. He did eat last night, and has eaten this morning. I don't know whether he'll make it or not.

Here is a video that was made, using footage shot in our Shelter a few weeks ago.

Since the beginning of summer, we have seen an increase in owner-surrenders and adoption-returns on dogs. The owner-surrender dogs tend to fall apart in the Shelter encvironment. I have been taking Checkers, a five or six year old Rat Terrier to Off-sites. He thinks I'm his savior and he shrieks in his kennel if I walk out of sight, which annoys the PetsMart manager. The store manager is not happy to have us there, but we help increase sales--one of my adopters yesterday spent $96 buying supplies, including a dog crate. I spent $40 both this week and last week buying supplies for my dogs and fosters. It irks me when we can't have what should be a win-win relationship with PetsMart.

Once this PetsMart deal is done this weekend, we'll be back to our regular schedule--primarily weekend events. I just wish the stream of dogs and cats arriving at the Shelter would ease up.

Dogs vs Men

2010-08-31T22:13:00.001-05:00

This is a video from Pawsitively Texas, a local web hub serving the Houston Metro area. It's short and cute. Watch it!

Bow Wow Bash & The Pet Psychic

2010-08-28T21:55:00.004-05:00

First, the caveat: I am not a true believer in pet psychics, but there is that "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!" part of me that absolutely wishes, really, really that it could be true. If someone asked me to clap my hands so a dog could talk to a pet psychic, I'd do it.

Thus said, this afternoon, I had the honor of meeting Sonya Fitzgerald, the famous animal communicator who dominated the cable station "Animal Planet" a few years back.

Ms. Sonya was the guest at our shelter's super sponsors, the awesome Barker Street Bakery in The Woodlands, TX. The good folks at Barker hosted the "Bow Wow Bash," complete with a dog-themed jump house for the kids, a pet-food donation drive, and a raffle that included goodies such as a flat-screen TV and a big leopard-print dog bed filled with treats and toys. More than $2,600 was raised for the Friends of the Montgomery Animal Shelter, one of the non-profits who help our Shelter dogs by providing funds for Veterinary care and other needs. What a phenomenal fundraiser!

I took my bouncy little foster Chihuahua, Pepper, to the event, hoping to find him a home. Ms. Sonya was inside the store, talking to folks and their pets. I joined the line of devoted pet owners and their well-loved dogs, including a Catahoula mix wearing a devil costume, extra-fluffy Pomeranians, and Shelter rescues that included a distemper-survivor Spaniel mix who had severe tremors in her back legs.

Doggy cookies spell out the event name.

Ms. Sonya Fitzpatrick was a huge hit with all the dogs and their people, graciously greeting more than two dozen pets and their owners. Ms. Sonya wasn’t doing full readings, but she did convey things that were on the various dogs’ minds.

We meet Sonya Fitzgerald.

Pepper was a very good boy, considering the crowded store, antsy dogs and delicious treats and toys on display. When our turn came, I put him on the table. I had on my MCAS apron and I told Ms. Sonya he was my foster Shelter dog. I had written “ADOPT ME” on a shipping tag and attached it, a lá Alice in Wonderland’s famous “DRINK ME” order, and he’d already gotten many compliments and had his photo taken.

Ms Sonya said Pepper wanted me to know these things: “He wants to stay at your house. He loves it there. He likes everybody and he feels so loved. He doesn’t want to go with anyone else because he loves you best and most and you will cry if someone else takes him.” (Pepper is right, of course, but anyone could have told me that!)

Ms. Sonya promised to “tell” him that I will find him the best home for him and that I’ll always love him.

Pepper asked what happened to the other dog who was visiting.

That had to be Tucker, I said, completely, totally captivated, in spite of myself. I asked Ms. Sonya to tell Pepper that Tucker was now home with his Mommy and that we were only babysitting. Then I asked if Pepper had anything to say about an older female dog.

“He says she’s rude,” Ms. Sonya said before I even finished. “Rude, rude, rude. Quite the rudest dog he’s ever met and he doesn’t like her, not at all.” I’m not sure if Pepper meant Mrs. Puff my senior Chi or Cross my little Rat Terrier mix, who had been very bossy toward him at first, but now is willing to wrestle.

Then I asked if Pepper liked the name we had given him. Ms. Sonya said that he likes all the names I call him. (I pick out a name, but call most of my fosters by sweetie-names like "Snickers", "Pup-Pup" and "Little Dude" or the like. Pepper told Ms. Sonya that likes it that I talk to him and the other dogs all the time. (I do). But most of all he liked it when he got to sleep with me (I let him snuggle with me on the couch and once in bed). That was the best thing.

Pepper also told her that he is a good barker, a very good barker. (I have to agree with that). Pepper also said he is a very good guard dog and that I need him to do that job for me. He didn’t want to go home with anyone else today.

There were many personalities at the Bash, including this Rottie Mix named "Hooker." I have never seen a dog willingly wear real shoes. She could walk with them on, too. Compared to this sweet girl, my own dogs lead very dull lives!

I know it’s silly, but I just got emotional about the whole thing. Ms. Sony thanked me for the work I do for these dogs and we made our exit. It's no matter whether her talent is real or not. The hard-working volunteers and generous donors pulled off a great event--Pepper got his photo taken for the newspaper, which may help him find the home he deserves, and I got to meet a celebrity who made me feel just a bit special. What's not to like?

-*-

"Sign" photo courtesy of TVindy. Photo of Pepper with Ms. Sonya and me--taken on my camera by a girlfriend.

Interesting Changes in the Breed

2010-08-27T20:31:00.002-05:00

I bookmarked this video some time ago, but it's well-worth watching, even though the video quality is not the best. What you will see is the transformation of a sturdy, big-headed, straight-backed working dog into a sloped or roached-back dog with a much light structure and a much weaker hindquarters.

Put together by a breeder of German Shepherds, this video compares photos of champions over time--from the 1940s to the early 2000s. It's mind-boggling to see how drastically the breed has changed in both the "American" and "German" lines. No wonder modern show-quality GSDs wobble so much as they walk.

This is a Bait Dog

2010-08-20T22:26:00.000-05:00

-*-WARNING-*-

While there is no blood or raw flesh, these photos may be upsetting for some people.

The only natural white fur on this dog is the white on his throat.

Meet "Scrappy" (not his 'real' name, as his foster plans to find a better one). He is a silver-blue, full blood American Pit Bull Terrier. He is young, crate-trained, eager-to-please, good with cats, house-trained and just a tad protective of his people. Oh, and he doesn't fight.

That is, he doesn't fight or assert himself with other dogs. Hence, his scars. Scrappy is a "bait dog"--he was used to give fighting Pit Bulls more confidence. Turned in as a stray (what did you expect?) Scrappy arrived with raw wounds, badly infected cropped ears and a swollen leg due to a severe wound.

The worst scars are on his neck and hindquarters.

At first it was assumed Scrappy would be euthanized, but somehow he made it to a foster home. His wounds are healing, although many of the scars will never regain hair, and others are coming in with white fur instead of silver. He is gaining weight and will soon be neutered.

Scrappy is living, breathing testimony to the horrors of dog-fighting. To know that this big, sweet, lug of a dog had no other purpose than to serve as a target for training other dogs is to see the proof in how a superbly people-oriented, eager-to-please breed can be manipulated into performing as a fighting machine. Scrappy wasn't "game" but dogs like him suffer just as much as the game "champions" in the ring. The scars are testimony to the courage of Pit Bulls, but it is the breed's courage that has been a burden. It's a shameful thing that a dog like Scrappy has had to endure so much.

The Chihuahua Whisperer

2010-08-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

She's short, pudgy and middle-aged. Tiny dogs adore her. Their teeth and barking are only temporary obstacles. She takes these little critters with huge Napoleon complexes and teaches them how to be loving lap dogs. She is...The Chihuahua Whisperer.

BTW, these are the Chi's I've fostered since I started working with The Montgomery County, Texas, Animal Shelter (MCTAS). I've also adopted out other Chihuahuas and Chi-mixes at Off-Site events. I admit it: I am addicted to tiny dogs. :)

Don't Pity the Shelter Dog

2010-08-16T17:43:00.001-05:00

Okay, it's an advertising line for Pedigree Dog Food, but it's true--don't pity the Shelter dog.
Pity never helped anyone, dog or person. Pity is easy, cheap and pointless. The key is to do something. I always have to tamp down the inclination to get hacked off when people come up to our Off-Site animals and say, "Oh, I could never do you what you are doing."

It's not rocket science, folks. It's not a 26-mile foot race. It's not a solo piano concert at Carnegie hall. It's just taking some sort of action. I know there are many reasons why some animal lovers can't do some aspects of the sort of volunteer work I do--allergies, parental responsibilities, incompatible work schedules, a reluctant spouse. You know, life stuff.

But don't give me lame excuses and expect me to absolve you of your pity. I don't have the time. It's hot out right now. The dogs are arriving in greater numbers at the Shelter. Those in charge of the County coffers are having second thoughts about taking the Shelter to a No-Kill position. Fosters are in short supply. Things are tough all over, and pity doesn't help.

So, here's what you can do next time you see me at an Off-Site event: Put some money in the damn donation jar. Or offer to walk a dog. Buy a box of dog biscuits or a leash or a collar, and donate them to the cause so I don't have to buy these things each week. If I'm by myself at the Off-site, offer to sit and just watch the animals so I can go take a bathroom break. These are the easy things, things you can do anytime you see animal rescue volunteers with adoptable dogs and cats at PetsMart, Petco, or other public places. These things are helpful.

Of course, you could volunteer your time to foster an animal. "Oh, I'd never be able to give them up if I fostered one," I hear people say. Nonsense. You're not taking the animal to keep. You are providing a crate, a bed, good food, a bath, a routine, some basic training, and some love. It's not that complicated. Okay, it's a lot more complicated if you take a sick, injured animal, or a litter of puppies, or a clutch of tiny kittens that need to be bottle-fed, but we have so many animals in need that you have your pick. You don't have to take on the worst case right out the chutes.

Foster homes improve a dog's chances of being adopted. A clean, exercised, well-fed dog is much more likely to find a home. A dog with any kind of a "history"--information a foster learns about the dog's temperament and needs--is much more adoptable. Sure, you take the risk of having a "foster fail" (when you end up keeping the foster animal), but there are folks who can help you avoid that if you feel so tempted. Besides, we all have foster fails.

If you can't do any the things I've suggested, at least do these things:

1.) Spay or neuter all your pets. The world does not need another litter of puppies or kittens.
2.) Don't buy from roadside breeders or "puppy stores."
3.) Make sure your dog is taking monthly heartworm prevention.
4.) Microchip your pet and register the number.
5.) Don't let your dog run loose. Don't keep your dog all day long in a backyard unless you have a properly constructed kennel with shade, shelter and fresh water and food.
6.) Don't chain your dog.
7.) Train your dog so he or she can be a good member of your family.

Above all, don't ever pity the Shelter dog. Adopt one. Foster one. Or donate your time and money. It's not hard to help.

Doing it for the Dogs, Not for the Rush

2010-08-12T11:33:00.005-05:00

Today’s post on Dogs Deserve Freedom made me want to commit to print a theory I’ve long held about the nature of animal-rescue volunteers. People who are attracted to animal rescue are passionate, committed, prone to seeking justice and, above all, they are addicted to the rush. Yes, the rush. The high. We’re in for the dogs, but the rush is exhilarating. It’s really what drives us.

Animal rescue is as exciting and unpredictable as car racing (Yes, I’m reading “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”). When I get a dog out of the kill room, or pull a sick animal through a deadly illness, or place a dog with a good family, I feel the rush. The adrenaline kicks in when we walk into the Shelter, and it ratchets upward when we are confronted with the evidence of a throw-away society. I feel like a superhero—although it pains me to admit it—when I pull a dog from a kennel. And the dogs worship me. I bask in their neediness. In some ways, I can’t help it—I’m a long-time volunteer, a parent and a recovering co-dependent.

Working a good 12-step program and maturity have helped me to identify my danger zones—the times when I’m too close, too enmeshed, and too focused. That’s when I have learned to draw back and take deep breath and remember why I am doing animal rescue: I’m doing it for the dog. One dog at a time. Okay, maybe two or three at a time. I have done it for Queenie, JoJo, Aribella (those are the ones who died). I have done it for Dancer, Snowy, Rusty, Riley, Chloe, and countless others. But if I’m honest, it always comes back to the rush. That rush just feels so good. It makes me feel so alive.

The urge to seek the rush is why I think that animal rescue groups have such difficulty working together. Each person firmly, passionately believes that his or her way of doing animal rescue is the best way to “save” dogs. I call it the “Most-est Right-est” Syndrome. In short, MY way is the RIGHT way to save the animal. The rush is calling us.

Because it is so difficult for the animal rescue volunteer to compromise, or even to entertain the idea that there may be more than one “right” way to do things, groups view each other as the “enemy.” Shelter staff people are “evil”—callous, uncaring, curt and harsh. Breed Rescue groups are “greedy”, cherry-picking the “best” dogs and leaving the train wrecks in the Shelter. Shelter volunteers are “lone wolf” types, preferring to run their own Off-Sites their own ways. The fund-raising group feels that the Off-site volunteers are “cheating” them of donations. The person who is “Most-est Right-est” generally sets the agenda, and sometimes that agenda isn’t all that good for the animals. However, the moment an agenda is set, the in-fighting begins again. It’s all about the rush.

People bristle if any sort of structure or cooperation is suggested. I have watched volunteers accuse other volunteers of “animal cruelty”. In the Shelter or at an Off-site, you can come home feeling like you’ve run a marathon. You feel vindicated, victorious. The rush is so addictive.

I watch as our groups, splinter and re-splinter, fracturing like cracks in ice floes, cleaving off and creating new groups that will crack, fracture and cleave yet again. What is my defense? Well, I try to keep to the focus on the animal, the individual dog. I remind myself by keeping a collar filled with tags and bells from animals I’ve helped. I take photos, most of which are never posted on-line, to help me remember the dogs.

My goal is to keep my focus where it should be, which is on what's best for each dog. By doing animal rescue volunteer work, I can make life better, even if just for a brief moment, for one dog.

I wish our groups could cooperate more. I try to keep an open mind. I try to work for the greater good, even when inside, I feel my own way is “Most-est Right-est.” I try to remember that isn’t about me. It isn’t about the rush, it’s about the dogs.

Old Dogs

2010-08-11T22:26:00.003-05:00

Senior Citizen Chihuahua
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

I feel the worst for the old dogs who come into the Shelter. The ones like Mrs. Puff, the old Chihuahua surrendered two weeks ago.

No one noted any remarks beyond "owner surrender" on her intake paperwork. She is heartworm negative, so someone was caring for her, at least that much. But not enough to keep her to the end of her days.

She is so self-contained, so fully aware--she watches me and I can hear her thoughts:

You are nice, but...
The couch is comfy, but...
I like your grass, but...
The food is good, but...

Sometimes it is difficult to meet her gaze, which is intensely direct and unflinching. Her ears stand up like bat wings, and she follows my movements with her gaze, clouded though it is due to beginnings of cataracts.

I wonder if her owner thinks about her. I know Mrs. Puff has thought hard about her person. I know the first day I met Mrs. Puff, she was looking for her person. We were at an Off-Site at the local cinema-complex, a place I'm sure Mrs. Puff had never been. But she had a purpose--she was, like the Blues Brothers, on a mission from God.

All day, in spite of the heat, she padded forward, first one direction, then the next, walking as far as the leash would permit, her gaze direct and unflinching, her bat-wing ears perked forward, listening. Her confidence was palpable. Her person would come.

I took her home. I've fed her, gotten her on a potty schedule, fixed a bed by the dresser in my bedroom since she complains if she's crated. I've given her meds for kennel cough, cleaned out her ears, and dosed her with benadryl when her itchies become too bothersome. I've placed an ad extolling her virtues, but no one has responded. I am not her person. I am her foster.

Two days ago, I sensed a shift in Mrs. Puff. A flicker of depression. An awareness that her person is not coming. Now she is focused fully on me, on my daughter, and my son. She wants her bed in a certain spot. She wants help onto the couch. She wants her food. She has surrendered her heart to me. And it makes my heart ache to know this.

More Chihuahua Mayhem

2010-08-07T20:49:00.001-05:00

This elegant old lady Chi is one of my foster dogs--and I've named her "Mrs. Puff".

I don't know why we've had so many Chihuahuas and Chi-mixes come through the Shelter as of late--but these tiny dogs seem to be everywhere. Mrs. Puff is the most even-tempered Chi I've ever seen--she doesn't quake, shake, nip, snarl, cringe or growl. Instead, she sits as serene as a queen, and steps right up to be petted by men, women and courteous children. An owner surrender, Mrs. Puff was one of our "Red Carpet" dogs who attended a publicity event held at our local cineplex to coincide with the opening of the movie "Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore." Mrs. Puff strolled down the carpet with the grace of a true diva.

Mrs. Puff was dignified and calm during our "Red Carpet" Event.

So what if her teeth are not so great, and she's got the beginnings of cataracts, and she's got the luxating patella thing so common with small dogs. Mrs. Puff is but is chipper and alert. Her hearing is excellent and what she likes best is to sit under the computer desk in a cozy bed (she's there right now) or camp out on the couch. She's not the prettiest or smallest Chihuahua, but she's got some good years left. As one of the Shelter workers quipped, "She could spend the next five years walking toward the white light." I thought I'd found a family for her, but they decided she was too old. She's probably about 10. Mrs. Puff would make a great couch companion for a retired person or couple and she'd be happy to let the grandkids (under direction) love on her.

This cute little "Chuggle" got adopted during our "Red Carpet" Event.

We're seeing a lot of Chi-mixes--the craze for "designer dogs" seems to have no end. We've had Chuggles (Chihuahua-Pug) and "Chi-weenies" (Chihuahua-Dachshund) and plenty of BYB stock.

A typical "oversize" Chihuahua at our Fourth of July event. This guy has a new home.

A cute little Chi-Weenie struts her Red Carpet style.

Little Teencie, now "Bella" (which happens to be the most popular dog name EVER, thanks, no doubt, to the Twilight enterprise!) has found her home, and according to reports, she had to be "disciplined" (i.e., removed from her new owner's lap and put on the floor for a stern scolding) when she started getting too bossy.

"Teencie" with her new owner at the FM 1488, PetsMart, Magnolia, TX.

And she's only four pounds of Chihuahua fierceness. Teencie was the one the Shelter staff nick-named "Piranha" for her nippy ways.

And we get the sad cases like this poor, toothless old Chihuahua, photographed by a Shelter worker.

This kind of surrender is the sort that infuriates the Shelter staff and volunteers--tossing away a dog at the end of its days. I believe this dog went to rescue.

As for the rumor that all we have at our Shelter are big Lab-mixes and Pit Bulls, I'm here to say, if you want a small dog--including Rat Terriers, Dachshunds, small terriers or other "toy" breeds, you can find them at the Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter.

Meet Our New Dog

2010-08-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

Tony Tony Chopper

I finalized the adoption today of a stag red Miniature Pinscher from the Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter. Meet our newest dog, "Tony Tony Chopper". I didn't name him, my 16-year-old daughter did, after a character in the Japanese pirate-themed anime "One Piece." If you aren't familiar with the show, don't feel bad!

At the Red, Hot and Blue Parade. Chopper has slimmed down since this photo.

I first saw Chopper in late June, and I thought at first he was "Rusty," a stag red MinPin I fostered last summer (detailed in an earlier post). I took Chopper with me for the July 3rd Parade (also in an earlier post), where my husband decided to walk him. He liked the dog, and so I took Chopper home, gave him a bath, wormed him and put flea meds on him. My little rat terrier mix "Cross" seemed to like Chopper, too. My son was away at college when Taco died, so he had been pestering me (even though he's almost 21) to get a MinPin puppy. I don't do puppies. Never have, never will.

I didn't want to force a decision about Chopper right away--we had a trip to New York City and Washington, D.C. planned for a week in early July--so I arranged for Chopper to go to another volunteer's house for four days, until my son could come get him (my son went with us to New York but came home because of his job). By the time we got back home, Chopper was a part of the family.

My husband was calling him "Brown Dog" and we were waffling between "Sam" (no one liked it except for my husband), "Rusty" and even "Tucker" (the name of our other foster). While we were in Washington, D.C., my daughter decided there would be no more discussion. His name was "Tony Tony Chopper." And that was that.

We love his velvety ears and big brown eyes.

I put off finishing the adoption on Chopper because I had to decide if we were ready to take him on--he's probably about four, and he's heartworm positive. He's going to our Vet tomorrow (I've decided to stick with Dr. Williams at VCA, but that's a topic for another post). I'm going to have them check his blood under a microscope for filaria and probably do a general workup. He's on the Shelter list for the 2-shot treatment, but that program is on hold (again) until the Constable (who is the County official in charge) decides how to pay for it.

Chopper isn't going to "replace" Taco, but we like MinPins, and he's the first one to come in at the Shelter. He's affectionate without being clingy and gets on well with other dogs, which is great for my fosters. We can take him to pet events or the dog park--things that were hard to do with Taco. He's small enough to sleep with my son or daughter. He is a little barkier than he was at first, but that's okay. He loves to play with chew toys, but doesn't get ugly or bitey when you take them from him.

Cross likes Chopper, too.

And Cross once again is enjoying her walkies. She had become pokey about walking alone--she and Taco were deeply bonded, even though they didn't sleep with each other or play together. Everyone, including Chopper, is happy.

I Have a Dilemma

2010-08-03T17:01:00.002-05:00

Tucker, a little butterscotch-colored terrier mix, has been in foster care since May 3rd, but he has some major issues. On the plus side, he's a little guy, under 20 pounds. He is loving, playful and lives to chase squirrels (he has a huge beagle-like bark for such a small dog). We treated Tucker for heartworms with the 2-shot protocol, and he's well-recovered from that experience, but he has proven to be unreliable as far as housebreaking.

He stayed at my house from May through the middle of June. I had a lot of trouble with him at my house, in spite of crating, in spite of walking him on leash, in spite of taking him out on a sensible schedule and watching to make sure he did his business. I'm not a beginner in the housebreaking department, but this was a dog who was a poop-making machine and a two-to-three time pee-er with each outside visit. And he would still mark or poop inside. And sometimes, he would poop in his crate. While there could be some underlying health issue, we're stuck--the Shelter doesn't run labs for routine things and there hasn't been money for comprehensive workups on an otherwise apparently healthy dog. But Tucker's potty habits aren't the only problem.

Tucker is also a chewer. He loves rawhides, and Nylabones, although I eliminated those right off while trying to solve the poop problems. But in the two months he was at my house, he could slip away, just for a few minutes, and find stuff to chew up--earbuds, earphones, underpants--the usual stuff dogs love. However, he also chewed up a vintage stuffed toy animal that was from my childhood. He did this while I let him nap with me on top of my bed one rainy afternoon. He somehow did this while snuggled in my arms without me realizing it--and I'm not that hard of a sleeper! Okay, so that was my bad, and I learned that he can't sleep on or in the bed.

In addition to these tough but normally manageable bad habits, Tucker has some odd anxieties.

He seemed to "forget" every single day that my husband lived in the house. He would charge, barking and lunging (all 15-pounds of him) at my husband each evening when he came home. Or each time he came in door on the weekend.

The normal approaches to this fearfulness didn't work. Leashing and correcting didn't seem to make a difference. We'd do the calm correction routine (like the successful parts on "The Dog Whisperer") at the door, and during the repetitions, and gradual movement to my husband walking in the door, Tucker would do fine. Then he'd lapse again the next day. Like a memory slip.

He was fine in the crate and okay on the leash with my husband--although my husband noted several times that Tucker seemed like an unusually clumsy and uncoordinated dog. I, too, noticed that Tucker could not keep to a heel without getting tangled in the leash, no matter how I held it.

When my son arrived home from college, Tucker treated him like he was the biggest, baddest, scariest guy on the planet. And my son, who loves dogs and is a big soft-hearted lug of a kid, was crushed. He took it personally, and got upset. In fact, he practically cried over it one point, wailing, "Why doesn't this dog like me, Mom?"

My son likes to hold a dog and surf the web or play video games.

Tucker's inability to adjust to my husband and son made it impossible to keep him in my house as a foster, especially when combined with the housebreaking and chewing. I figured that I was the one at fault and hoped that Ms. N., Tucker's "sub-foster" since June 17th, could help Tucker with his issues. She has a very anxious Aussie mix girl and a deaf Aussie boy, and has brought both of these dogs around. She is an experienced dog person.

I gave Ms. N. pretty much full disclosure (I left out the vintage toy animal bit) and she was confident she could work with him. She got his stools firmed up (not only was the quantity amazing, his stools remained soft even after the heartworm treatment was finished) with cottage cheese and pumpkin. She got him to keep his crate clean. He was having fewer accidents. He loved playing with Ms. N.'s dogs

However, Ms. N., brought home another foster. This guy was newly fixed and marked a few times, so Tucker began marking again. Or so Ms. N. thought. Now Tucker has completely backslid. He's peeing and pooping in the house again. He's torn up blinds and cushions, and is falling apart if he is crated. We have to decide what we are going to do next.

The problem is that he is still a Shelter dog. The Shelter doesn't do exploratory lab work, or behavior-rehab or place dogs in sanctuaries. The Shelter dogs get basic vetting and a rough behavioral review (not a real evaluation by an expert). As it stands, Tucker is not readily adoptable at this point unless he is consigned to living outside (which is probably all he had done before in his short life--he's less than two years old).

We have to select an option that doesn't involve a lot of money. I'm going to to go over Tucker's case in full detail with Ms. N. One nagging fear that I've had ever since I brought Tucker home is that he is a distemper survivor. He has always seemed just a little off in a neurological sense. I don't know what it takes (besides more money than I have to spend on him) to determine what is behind his behavior, but we have to do something.

If you have had experience with a dog like Tucker and can offer any suggestions, please leave me a comment.

Saturday Shelter Snapshots

2010-07-25T19:58:00.002-05:00

Time for another round-up of Shelter snapshots:

1. Hawt Dogs & Hot Dogs. Dedicated volunteers donated money, PR and time to help mount the “Hawt Dogs & Hot Dogs” mega-adoption event on July 24^th. Sleek, pointy-topped white catering tents sprang up in front of the Shelter, while café umbrellas sprouted in the fenced-in play area. Balloons and banners announced the event and a full complement of volunteers and Shelter employees flung up the Shelter to highlight the dogs and cats needing new homes.

Long-term dogs, our “Diamonds in the Ruff” were available at special adoption rates, and hot dogs donated by our local James Coney Island franchise were available (donations encouraged) as snacks. Sixty-nine animals left the Shelter on Saturday, including 14 foster animal placements and three animals transferred to rescues. About 10 of our long-term animals found new homes.

2. Overheard at the Shelter. A college-age girl, with her parents in tow, was looking for a dog—preferably a Chihuahua. The dog had to be under 5 pounds. When I asked about the severe weight restriction (a necessity since our average Chihuahua weighs in around 8 pounds), the girl said that her Sorority in Austin didn’t allow any dog over 5 pounds.

A vision of Paris Hilton and her little Chi flashed through my head, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking if the girl realized how challenging it would be to care for a dog while she’s in college. “We’ve got four dogs!” the girl replied. When I asked if she realized that Chihuahuas are prone to house-breaking difficulties, her mother snapped, “We’ve got a 21-year-old Chihuahua and he never has accidents.” In my experience, it’s the rare Chi that is truly, fully housebroken. We didn’t have anything that small (fortunately) and so I turned the family over to a different volunteer before I really said something snarky. The last thing a college-age kid in a Sorority house needs is a dog. As I passed by the girl’s father, he said, “Thank you,” in a low, grateful voice that let me know he and I were in agreement.

3. Pyrenees-Anatolian Shepherd Mixes. Both the Great Pyrenees and the Antolian Shepherd are common big dog breeds in our part of Texas, used primarily to guard goats and sheep. Our local Craigslist generally has at least one listing for “Great Pyrenees-Anatolian Shepherd mixes". Recently, a young Anatolian mix came in as a stray at the Shelter. You could tell from the dome of his head and the fluffy coat that Rufus (his kennel name) was a Pyrenees mix.

Great Pyrs and Anatolians are just too damn smart, and they do poorly in the Shelter, quickly becoming despondent. This big, young guy had closed down with depression. He had lost weight and was suffering from abscessed areas near his dewclaws. Two volunteers gave him a much-needed bath and spent an hour combing out his tangles. Although Rufus perked up, he wouldn’t eat any canned food. I was transporting for an Off-Site, so the Coordinator decided to take Rufus with us. Our goal was to find him a foster home. We had to drag him into PetsMart and I was concerned the managers would think we were bringing a sick dog to an Off-Site. The dog flopped down into his crate, and stared dimly out into space.

However, a couple came by and were immediately smitten. They offered to foster him, and after filling out the paperwork , the husband had to pick up the dog and carry him to the parking lot. He spread his army fatigues across the back cargo area of his SUV, explaining he was a former Green Beret. Then he hefted the dog into the rear cargo space, patted him softly and said, “Now we we’re off to Best Friends [a local Veternarian’s office] before they close. Thank goodness for those who step up to help dogs like Rufus.

-*-

Photos courtesy of the MCAS Facebook page, located here

D.C. with Dogs

2010-07-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

We are on vacation, and my little dog and all my fosters are at their get-away digs, too! In fact, the MinPin, "Sam" is now back at my house with my college-age son, who had to head home to work. Sam's foster mom said he was well-behaved at her house (she has seven dogs, including fosters and rescue transients).

We spent four days in New York City and are now in Washington, D.C., staying with my sister-in-law, who works high up in the FBI. This cute little Chihuahua was on tour with his owner at the Lincoln Memorial. His owner says he goes out to see the D.C. sights almost every weekend, riding along in her backpack.

My daughter said I just had to have a "dog fix". She was right--I felt better after seeing this cute little guy. re We' heading out to visit Arlington Cemetery today to pay our respect to those who have died for our freedom, then we're off to Mount Vernon. Did George Washington have a favorite dog? I plan to find out.

On The Hunt

2010-07-06T18:35:00.001-05:00

Sometimes in the course of events it becomes necessary to take an excursion with members of the family. As this is one of those times, I'll be away from my off-sites. My own dog, Cross (AKA The Cutest Dog in the World) has gone to my Mom's house, to join the Chihuahua Pack. Teencie and Tucker are still vacationing with their BFFs the Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mixes. "Sam," the Miniature Pinscher who was my Rusty-look-alike is going to visit another MinPin named "Jake." So, we'll BRB.

Fourth of July Off-Site Fail

2010-07-05T00:06:00.002-05:00

I spent Fourth of July not grilling hot dogs, but dealing with hot dogs.
*-*-*
First, let me say that I adore my Off-Site Team Coordinator. She is energetic, enthusiastic, patient, persistent, and has the stamina of an Amazon warrior-priestess. Like those hapless dudes from "Wayne's World", "I am not worthy!" So, because I adore her, I agreed to help out this afternoon at an Adoption event held at the Unity Park in Magnolia, TX.

The park is so new it doesn't show up on Google Maps. It was 25 miles from my house (not including a return trip to the Shelter). On a Sunday afternoon. On the Fourth of July. In 95 degree F, humid weather. In the mud, since the park was just finished (and is located in the piney woods). With two small tents for shade. And about 14 dogs, three young kittens, a gaggle of teen-aged girl volunteers and a total of three volunteers (spread throughout the day, not all at once) plus my dauntless Team Coordinator.

As adoption events go, it was a FAIL. Set-up began at 12:30 p.m. I arrived at 3:00 p.m., bringing more water, four bags of ice and a storage bin of fleece blankets. Magnolia is a small farm town in a rural area surrounded by a mix of low- and high-end subdivisions. The primary attendees of this event were families who live in either Waller, Grimes or Montgomery County. They are already dog owners. They have cats. And horses. And goats. And probably chickens, too, although I didn't ask. They were very, very nice, and we had lots of help walking dogs. But no adopters. Not even nibbles. Everyone appeared to have their quota of animals.

The little Chi-Mix in the middle was our only adoption today.

The red Miniature Pinscher is my "Rusty" look-alike. He is now my foster dog.

Toward late afternoon, we did place a Chihuahua mix with a woman who lived nearby. The little dog was worn out from a weekend whirl of off-sites. I hope she won't throw up later tonight from the heat. It was bloody hot. We laid plastic ziplock bags filled with ice under the fleece blankets to keep the dogs cool. We gave everybody (including ourselves) a lot of water.

The action picked up closer to evening--the park planned to host a fireworks show. I saw people coming in with their dogs. The dogs were oblivious to the fact that in an hour and a half, they would be barraged by fireworks noise. *sigh* Some people don't think.

Take-down was hampered by a sudden, intense rain shower (thank you, Hurricane Alex). Wet dogs, wet blankets, wet crates, wet tents. And mud.

What it looks like to the kitteh under the van.

Then a young cat got loose (a tween girl helper lost her grip) and darted under my car to cower in the spare tire. Three teenaged girls, the sorrowful tween helper, and a five-year-old boy who actually corralled the cat when it darted away from the teen-aged girls. They were filming the whole scene with their phones. It will probably be on YouTube. It was very funny, really. The young cat was unharmed.

Finally we were packed--dogs in a Volunteer's horse trailer, my van, and my Team Coordinator's van. Plus the three young cats, the crates, the bins, the folding tables, two tents, and a bunch of very wet and stinky fleece blankets. We pulled out of the muddy venue. We didn't get stuck.

We drove back to the Shelter on what in Texas are called "FM" (Farm-to-Market) Roads. They are two-lane highways that are rapidly being widened to four lanes because of suburban growth. The are no streetlights and few stoplights. In Texas, we like to drive fast. My Team Coordinator drove fast. The volunteer with the horse trailer drove fast, too. I drove over the limit but was last in line. I'm a coward.

A few miles from the Shelter, a State Trooper was parked in a dirt drive, hidden by pines. In Texas, the State patrol cars are black, with a few white markings, and it was nearly dark--the gloaming. The blue and red lights blazed. The officer pulled over my Team Coordinator. She was doing 65 in a 50 or 55 mph zone (the limits bounce around on this stretch of highway). The volunteer towing the horse trailer slowed down. I was trailing and only had to lift my foot from the gas. We didn't stop. We continued to the Shelter.

The Shelter has a Twilight Zone air at night. I hate going to the Shelter at night but, as I said, I adore my Team Coordinator. At the Shelter, the Foster Coordinator, who is a paid employee of the county but who is has a Volunteer's never-quit attitude, was still there. It was almost 9:00 p.m. I asked if she lived there. She just laughed.

Outside, there was popping and banging. The big fireworks display put on by The Woodlands Township was underway. From the Shelter, we could see bits of the sparkles. The noise carried loudly on the humid air, and was augmented by the noise of the fireworks blown off by all the freedom-loving Texans in the loosely-governed subdivisions around the Shelter. The dogs in the outside runs were barking non-stop. But they were safely penned.

This is the "Dog Lady" van. Tonight it smells like wet dog.

My Team Coordinator arrived a few minutes later. She said the officer gave her a warning. Her van was full of wet dogs. She was soaking wet, head to toe. She was grateful for the warning, but thought we would be laughing at her. Not at all. We were just glad she got a warning. The officer must have felt sorry for the "dog lady." That's what we are, you know. We don't mind. We're doin' it for the dogs, anyway. And those ungrateful young cats, too.

-*-
Photo Credits: Ribbon--scan from my own magnet; Kitteh--I Can Has Cheezeburger Hall of Fame; Police Lights: The Interwebs. Thank you Google Images.

Shelter Dogs Show Their Colors

2010-07-03T22:08:00.002-05:00

Volunteers came out in their walking shoes to help us leash up and parade more than 60 adoptable dogs from the Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter (MCTAS) as part of The Woodlands Township, TX, annual Fourth of July Celebration "Red, Hot & and Blue" Parade.

The parade rolled at about 9:00 a.m. in spite of threats of rain (leftover bands of moisture from Hurricane Alex), with a mixture of civic, church and high school groups, including three marching bands. Our dogs joined the line-up in the top third of the parade, helped along by walkers and accompanied by a truck pulling a hand-decorated trailer with cages to hold adoptable kittens and puppies. We also had an electric-powered "eco-taxi," piloted by the owner, who volunteers at the Shelter, to give weary dogs and walkers a brief rest.

We had mutts of every shape and size, from perky little chi-weenie mixes to lumbering Labs and a regal AmStaff with gorgeous tiger-stripe brindle markings. Dogs were kitted out in bandannas, flower leis, and such, all in appropriately patriotic collars. Sponsors walked with us, handing out coupons for custom-painted dog dishware and other tokens.

We urged all the parade-watchers to spay and neuter and make a difference by adopting their next furry friend.

It was a lot of work hauling the dogs to and from the Shelter, and several pooches got a bit hot, but the dogs received as much water as we could provide and a cool kennel after the parade.

Many of our potential clients don't realize that we have lots more than just "Pit Bulls and Black Labs" at the Shelter. And we let people know that we need the public's help in reducing intake numbers by spaying and neutering all their animals.

-*-
Photos and artwork by C. Bruhn

OMG Is this Rusty?

2010-07-01T18:57:00.000-05:00

As my faithful readers know, I have a soft spot for Miniature Pinschers--my own dog, Taco, was a MinPin, and I have fostered several MinPins from the Shelter, including a very sweet oversize stag red guy we called "Rusty." We had Rusty as foster dog all summer so he could undergo heartworm treatment, and we loved him a lot. Last September, during a Labor Day PetsMart event I adopted Rusty to a family in our area--and still have the work phone number of the wife. Even now, we still think about Rusty--he was a sweet, friendly, laid-back dog who liked everybody, even if he wasn't the sharpest saw in the toolshed.

I went to the Shelter today to see two Miniature Pinschers. One was a female chocolate and tan girl with upright natural ears, a docked tail and a dainty demeanor. The other was a stag red boy. I can't take on a foster right now as I have another set of travel dates, and have already got two dogs in foster care (both Tucker and Teencie are doing great, according to their temporary foster Mom), but we all want another MinPin to replace Taco, who went over the Rainbow Bridge at the end of April. I had to check out the boy dog.

So...here's this stag red MinPin. He was turned in as a stray, but the people said they found him, and no one responded to their signs. I don't know where he was picked up yet--I plan to find out tomorrow--and while he didn't do a "Lassie Come Home" jump-for-joy at the sight of me, he was very happy to get out of the Kennel. I compared microchip numbers when I got home--they are different, but this dog has a fresh set of microchip scan slips and a tag in his paperwork folder, so he could have two chips. He's a stocky, rather pudgy dog (Rusty was leaner) so his original microchip could have slipped. He has the same calm, happy demenor, and he's clearly been someone's pet. His size and basic color, stance, build, and ear/tail treatments are the same. Could this be Rusty?

The MinPin at the Shelter is the dog on the left in all the photos. Rusty is the dog on the right. It was very cloudy and dark today (thanks to Hurricane Alex, south of Houston), so this MinPin's coat appears lighter. Plus, I tend to push the saturation on my photos, so my shots of Rusty have all been tinkered with.

My husband thinks he's a different dog. What do you think? Leave me a comment!

It's Raining Chihuahuas

2010-06-23T15:39:00.000-05:00

We're not quite in a drought here in North Houston, but it's been raining Chihuahuas at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter where I volunteer. Here are three owner-surrender Chi's, reluctantly turned in by an elderly man who could no longer afford to keep them. They were very sweet, so once they are checked over (and spayed/neutered if needed) I'm sure they will find homes. We've had Chihuahua puppies and assortment of adult Chihuahuas, along with Teencie, my tiny little foster Chi.

I don't know if our Chihuahua frenzy is due to fall-out from the popularity of these dogs in the media as "purse dogs" and movie stars (Beverly Hills Chihuahua), but one thing for sure is that these cute little dogs come with their own special needs.

Meanwhile, Little Teencie has come a long ways. She is still very skittish and will dodge and nip if she feels threatened, and she has a typical, sharp Chihuahua bark, but she has been sleeping with my daughter or with me (she started howling at night when crated) and this has helped her warm up considerably.

My what big eyes you have, Tucker!

Both Teencie and Tucker are going to spend the next four days with a different foster volunteer--I'm leaving tomorrow for an Art Retreat in Waxahachie, and these two dogs are more work than my family is willing to provide. Tucker has already had one stint at a foster's house and it was very good for his confidence. Tucker still has issues with men. He gets panicky when my big college-age son is around, so I have to crate him to keep him from barking fearfully. If my son would work with me, I could get Tucker to settle down, but my son takes it personally--he's still missing our dog, Taco, and thinks Tucker is just stupid.

Tucker is doing good with his heartworm treatment and will start going to off-sites soon. BTW, the Shelter lists him as a Chihuahua mix, but at 15 pounds and with his long Whippet-like legs and Beagle-bugle bark, I don't think there's much Chihuahua in him!

-*- Top photo by T.H.

Ashes, OTIs, and Pit Bulls: Saturday at the Shelter

2010-06-19T18:09:00.001-05:00

I hauled dogs for transport to off-sites today. The dedicated young woman who coordinates the off-sites at PetsMart Portifino was fuming about kittens. Right now, about 40-50 kittens (most too young to be weaned) arrive at the Shelter each day. We do not have enough space or care available at the Shelter for this many babies and ourdedicated fosters are juggling anywhere from eight (a couple of litters) to 30 kittens in a last-ditch effort to save as many as possible.

The Shelter was in full swing for euthanizations this week and the young woman was there when the staff was emptying the incinerator used to consume the bodies. The young woman gave me a hard look as we were going off her transport list. "I have a new idea for publicity," she said. "We should bundle the ashes from the incinerator into little baggies and hand them to each person who comes to turn in kittens." I had to agree it would be an eye-opener for our clients. "And it is recycling, too," the volunteer added grimly.

-*-
The Shelter Rescue Coordinator has been valiantly trying to place the uptick in OTI (Owner-Turn-In) animals. We're getting an inordinately high number of healthy, middle-aged, well-socialized pets coming in as surrenders. The major reason? People are moving and say they can't take their dogs. The Rescue Coordinator has a name for it: "They're moving to the State of No Dogs."

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We've got a new Pit Bull Rescue Group to help us deal with our wonderful Staffies and Pibbles! Guardian Pit Bull Rescue may not be the biggest outfit in Rescue, but they are heroes to the dogs they pull from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. The big Staffie pictured above is a perfect example of the kind of dog our volunteers would like to save, but the kind that are harder to place under the County guidelines. Guardian Pit Bull had a comprehensive application form for interested prospects to fill out--one more suited to the needs of these dogs than the Shelter's boilerplate form.

-*- Photo courtesy of M.H.

Fun with My Dogs

2010-06-18T19:04:00.002-05:00

This is my daughter (yes, she has dyed her hair blue-green for the summer) holding a reluctant "Teencie" as we are now calling our skittish little Chi foster girl. Teencie wants so badly to be held, but she isn't quite yet brave enough to let us do so. We can scratch behind her ears, and hold her (firmly) for a few moments. She whines and howls in her crate at night, so now she's sleeping with my daughter. That is, she is sharing the bed. This has made Teencie more confident. We've had a her a week and she has improved tremendously.

This is Tucker, my other foster, right before his June 10-11 heartworm treatment. He received the 2-dose, back-to-back Immiticide shots. He's doing fine--the biggest problem is keeping him quiet. He loves to run after birds and squirrels. One of my Vet Tech friends says her clinic is out of Immiticide, and it doesn't look like they will be able to get more for awhile. Our Shelter clinic ran out of the drug earlier this year, and so when I took Tucker home, I put his name on a wait list. When the Immiticide doses arrived, I got a call--I made sure to get him in so he wouldn't lose his place in the line.

This is my dog, Cross. She isn't really taunting you, She is about to lick. She has a licking problem. She is powerless over her desire to lick. She needs a 12-step group.

And His Name is Peanut

2010-06-17T17:20:00.001-05:00

The old Chihuahua has owners! They have been looking for him--he is 14 years old; they've had him since he was a puppy, and his name is "Peanut." So he went home with them. According to the Shelter staff person who handled the case, the little dog got all wiggly and squeaky when he heard his person's voice.

The visible tumors on him are lymphomas, and the fleas must have come because he was lost for several days. No information on why the owners had let his toenails grow so long and jaggedy. Thus, we have closure.

Old Chihuahua May Get a Home

2010-06-16T09:48:00.000-05:00

Go figure! The blind, toothless, bald old Chihuahua stud dog featured in the post on June 14th may have a home.

One of the Shelter volunteers uploaded photos of him from her phone, which were picked up by the Houston Pet Blog, Animal Advocate. A man from Detroit, Michigan, saw the dog via the post and contacted the Rescue Coordinator at MCTAS called and wishes to adopt the dog if transport can be arranged. Currently, the Rescue Coordinator is working on trying to secure transport. The little old guy seems pretty darn perky, in spite of his myriad problems. What looked like an immediate euthanization may have a better ending. I'll post an update as I get more information!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2010-06-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

Time for more "Shelter Snapshots".

The Good

I went to the Shelter today to straighten out paperwork for my teeny-tiny Chihuahua foster and things were crazy. This GSD, a small, but very typey female, came in as a stray. The woman who brought her in thinks she may have jumped out of a truck. She was in good shape, just frightened. No microchip. We'll be lucky if anyone claims her. If not, though, she'll be put into rescue or adopted quickly.

The Bad

No, this isn't "bad" because she is a pit bull. It's bad because she came in as a stray, super skinny, obviously bred-to-bits, and bearing scars on her ribcage and ears. This is our typical pit bull mama dog--a marshmallow personality condemned in a fighting body. This girl probably has heartworms, along with at least one badly infected dug. Her fate is uncertain.

The Ugly--WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC

This train wreck of a dog was scooped up from the roadside by a good Samaritan. He is a tiny boy Chihuahua who--more than likely--has spent his entire life being a stud dog. He is not blind, but close to it, has no teeth, no lower jaw, and was covered with fleas and nearly bald, with exceedingly long, jagged toenails.

We thought at first that this would be an immediate euthanization case--he lay listless in an old towel. But once he was on the floor, the little booger lapped up some food (we made it soupy) his tongue darting like a hummingbird's, then we we put him in a crate with an another dog (a Yorkie about twice the Chi's size), the little old man puffed up like a Rottie and dominated that poor Yorkie, standing with his studly equipment on full alert, and growling (although it sounded like snufffling). The Yorkie cowered in the corner, terrified of this little banshee.

This guy's fate after the end of his stray-hold period is most likely euthanization--he has visible tumors, an abnormally swollen prostrate, a bellyful of worms and most likely is heartworm positive. How someone can permit an animal to decline into such a horrible state is hard to fathom. This dog's problems were almost all preventable with decent care, but clearly, his owner didn't consider them to be issues worth treating.

We've had a run lately with stray old dogs arriving in horrible shape--a blind, incontinent Pomeranian, an old Yorkie with half his coat gone due to mange, and a blind Cocker Spaniel with a coat matted to a dense carpet of flea-dandered fur. We end up giving these weary seniors the pink injection, but the volunteers and Shelter staff would sure like to give a swift boot in the rear to the owners who abandoned these elders in their last days.

Little and Fiesty

2010-06-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

I have acquired a second foster, a teeny, tiny, itsy-bitsy, bitey-bitey black-and-tan Chihuahua girl. One of the Shelter Clinic Techs pulled her from the Stray area because she was so nippy she would have been euthanized and urged me to take her home and "tame" her.

Evidently, I have become the "small dog lady". I'm also considered the Chihuahua expert--which makes me laugh! My off-site Team Leader, who loves the big lunk-head Labs, was impressed how I dodged the Chi's nips in order to get a slip leash on her. If you use a towel and grip her from behind, she can't get you with her itty-bitty teeth.

This little girl is tee-nincey, weighing maybe two and a half pounds. She growls (a teeny sound) and rolls her eyes and nip-nip-nips! Her bite isn't strong, but she is a wiggly, fiesty thing. She is terrified and doesn't hesitate to let you know how she feels. She did eat some chicken from my fingers at dinner tonight and she seems calmer than she did yesterday, when I first saw her. Hopefully, she'll come around. She is absolutely adorable--my 16-year-old squealed like a kid when she saw her.

Tinker Bell (as I'm calling her since "El Diablo" is a boy's name) isn't in good shape--her toenails were so long (before the first bit of trimming) that the front feet nails curled completely under. She's skinny and has a silver dollar-sized bald patch on her right side (an old burn wound?). She came in as a stray (how on Earth did the Animal Control officer catch her???) and hasn't been spayed or checked for heartworms (with my luck lately, she'll be heartworm positive). I just hope she doesn't get distemper like Arabella did.

Tucker Starts Heartworm Treatment

2010-06-10T12:48:00.001-05:00

This little guy is Tucker, my current foster. He had the first of two immiticide shots to combat heartworm infestation and he is currently curled under my desk, groaning pitifully. I hate having to put a dog through heartworm treatment--the cure is painful and risky. Tucker will have a second shot tomorrow followed by a month of crate rest (or at least very limited activity). Barring complications, the adult heartworms will be killed by the powerful drug and he'll be on Heartguard to prevent further infection.

Here in Houston, preventive heartworm treatment is a year-round necessity. Anyone who skips preventive treatment is putting their dog at stake. I know that many dog blogs offer conflicting opinions about treatment and preventive protocols for heartworm, and I hate it when people say, "Oh, we give the heartworm preventive in the warm months but not in the winter." I get mosquito bites all year round, and so do dogs. And heartworms are transmitted only by mosquitoes. Dog bloggers who advise people to use farm animal products or to skip using Heartgaurd or similar products because it is a "Big Pharma scam" should come walk our corridors at the Shelter. About 40 percent of our incoming animals come in with heartworm. And many times, the heartworm is so advanced that the animals are already severely ill. In our area, the main reasons people don't give preventive tablets are financial--or they assume that if their dog appears healthy, it doesn't have heartworms.

I'm not looking forward to the next two weeks of extremely limited exertion for Tucker. But he'll be a healthier dog at the end it.

Thank You to My Readers

2010-06-03T08:55:00.002-05:00

Today, I'd like to make note of some milestones and acknowledge my gratitude to my faithful readers. I began this blog a year ago in March 2009. Although I have had some time gaps (mostly in the fall, when I'm busy being a Band Mom), I have written 110 posts. And recently, my 50th follower joined the pack!

As readers, you have all been so supportive. My goal isn't to rant and rave (there's enough of that already on the Interwebs) nor is it to present an always rose-colored vision (there's enough sweetness on the Interwebs as well). I wanted a place to connect with other people involved in animal rescue, a place where I can post a cute picture (like the one above), a funny video, or a snarky aside.

You, my faithful readers, have followed my adventures as a Shelter volunteer, the exploits of my foster dogs, my Vet adventures with my own two dogs, and have taken things in stride when I have a cuteness attack or a need to gripe. I have added a number of intriguing blogs to my sidebar list, and have begun clicking the "follow" button on other peoples' blogs so they know I'm reading. My lurking days are fading. I know how much your comments mean to me, so I've increased my effort to leave a note on the blogs I read.

My other blog, "El Rancho Not So Grande," is an artsy blog. I love making art, collecting junk, and learning new craft techniques, but the artsty blog world is where I don't feel as confident. Many of the artsy blogs are so beautiful, elaborate, and so filled with exquisite photography and shots of stunning abodes that I feel like my eclectic interests are too scattershot. Still, I have some followers and receive a few comments.

I have been a writer all my life--I have written three complete novels (all submitted through an agent, but with rejections), countless poems, and I've worked as a managing editor (transportation journals) and free-lancer for 20 years. When I started writing, we didn't have computers--just the typewriter--and the Internet was a pipe dream. I got my first computer in 1985 and went on-line (dial-up) in 1998. I wish I'd had the Interwebs with its blogs and social networking when I was a young novelist.

"We Don't Rent Puppies" has allowed me to develop a different sort of voice than I used in my novels and professional writings. I've been timid, but I'm getting bolder. And I owe it to my readers, especially to the very regular readers who leave me comments. Thank you all!

If you're dropping by and reading me for the first time, please look at some of my previous posts. Leave a comment so I can visit you. I also invite you to sign up as a follower. And remember, we still don't rent puppies. Adopt a Shelter pet and gain a friend for life!

-*-
Artwork courtesy of Flickr; based on a scan of a vintage children's greeting card.

Coda

2010-05-30T19:12:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning at the Emergency Vet office is never a fun experience. People filled the waiting room, with animals needing assistance for things ranging from high fever to broken legs. I came to the Conroe Emergency Vet Clinic to be with Arabella, our little distemper dog, in her last moments.

On Saturday, I took the little Chihuahua from a Vet clinic in the Woodlands to the Emergency Clinic since The Woodlands Clinic would be closed for the Memorial Day weekend holiday. The dog's sponsor was willing to keep trying to bring Arabella around. But after receiving an estimate that began at $1,400 with a high of $2,500, and no guarantees or end to the critical care (the estimate was good through Tuesday morning, when the EC Vet would close), the sponsor was forced into making that tough but familiar decision.

"Every time I started thinking about that bill, I'd get a cold knot in my stomach," she told me on the phone this morning. "I'd spent so much already, and the dog wasn't improving." I agreed: it was time to stop, and do the best thing for Arabella. I had already made it clear to the sponsor that I would go and be with Arabella at the end since the sponsor was out of town and was handling the dog's treatment via phone and email.

So Sunday morning, instead of going to church, I went to a service of a different kind. I took a little red collar that Arabella had worn, a pink squeaky toy that she had enjoyed and the softest fleece blanket I own. At the EC clinic, the staff was awesome. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone's names, but every staff person, from the presiding Vet to the Techs and Desk Staff treated Arabella and I with the greatest compassion and respect.

I was ushered into an exam room. I couldn't take Arabella outside (she was still shedding the distemper virus and would put other clients' animals at risk) but I spread the fleece blanket on the exam table, and when she was brought to me, I removed her Elizabethan collar and slipped a red dog collar around her skinny neck, because in my house, we never have "nekkid dogs"--every foster gets a collar.

She perked up and wagged her tail as I cuddled her. I showed her the small pink squeaky toy I'd brought her, and made it squeak. She reached for it and took it into her mouth. She didn't have the strength to squeak it, so when she dropped it, I squeaked it and gave it to her again. She seemed happy and held it contentedly in her mouth (at my house she had walked around with that toy in her mouth, just squeaking and squeaking). After about 10 minutes, the Doctor and Tech came in with the syringe of pink fluid.

One month ago, I had to put my own dog down. It was chaotic and hard because my daughter panicked when the dog jerked as the needle went in. This Vet didn't do a pre-sedate, but she was good at this procedure. Arabella did tense and jerk once, but I was ready when her head flopped limply into the crook of my arm. She went easily and fast.

Both the Doctor and Vet Tech were attentive and gentle. They talked to Arabella through the entire procedure, calling her a good, good dog. She was a good dog. A very good dog.

And Now for Something Completely Different

2010-05-28T16:03:00.001-05:00

This YouTube video was on BoingBoing, A Directory of Wonderful Things, where you can find all things geeky, wonky, and wild and weird. The post's author wonders whether the dog "actually enjoys dancing in that frilly skirt."

The comments made by Boing-Boing's readers reflect the site's core audience--some are perturbed because the hind-leg hopping might be hard on the dog's joints. Others are impressed by the partnership between the dog and its handler: "Smoobly" writes, "The dog enjoys having a job to do, doing it well, pleasing hir human, and being rewarded. That the job entails dancing around in a frilly skirt is purely incidental. Good dog!"

"Libraryboi" is worried about other issues: "Dogs aren't supposed to stand on their hind legs. It's not difficult to imagine the damage that is inflicted on their joints and subsequent pain from doing this repeatedly over years. Simply because we can train dogs to do this doesn't mean we should for mere human amusement." I suppose fly-ball is bad, too, because the dogs jump high and land hard.

Others noticed only the pretty hostess, or made flip comments about skirts. I'm convinced that since the dog is a Golden Lab, it doesn't give a hoot what it wears while dancing, just as long as there are treats or tennis balls afterwards.

The Cost of Compassion

2010-05-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

"Arabella" (aka "Princess"), the little Distemper Dog, is back at the Vet's, on IVs since yesterday. She has had the three serum injections that might defeat the distemper, but her physical state was sliding. Her sponsor opted to pay out of her own pocket for this final effort. Arabella has a lot of heart and hasn't given up, but the money spent so far to fight her illness is more than $1,000, and that's at steeply discounted (thanks to two very generous Veterinary practices, and two non-profits) rescue rates. If she is not significantly improved after three days, then we need to face the fact that euthanization is necessary. I don't want Arabella to die. Nor does her sponsor and others who have met her. Yet, money may not save her life.

Which brings up the question: How much should be spent trying to save a Shelter dog?

Vast amounts of money, much from non-profit fund-raising, much from individuals' own pockets, is spent on individual Shelter dogs whose plights spur people into last-ditch, major efforts. Many of these cases involve unique situations that arouse fierce sympathy. Just recently at our Shelter, major effort and expense has been spent treating a dog hit by a car (the dog is recovering) and a mature Chocolate lab whose owner dumped him with an old badly healed broken leg, which has now been amputated (this guy is recovering as well).

The latest extreme example is a GSD mix dog found along the I-45 and brought into the Shelter with bowed front legs, due to carpal flexural deformity, along with severely atrophied back legs. This dog appears otherwise healthy in spite of his condition, and he has learned to "scoot" along using his belly. Currently, the Shelter Director (who is a notoriously soft-hearted person) is investigating treatment options. Most likely, appeals will be made for outside donations. Plans include high-lighting this dog in the paper to arouse public interest. Not to suggest that it is wrong to consider treating this dog, but I still wonder if the thousands of dollars that corrective surgery will require could be better spent elsewhere within the Shelter.

Dogs tug at peoples' heartstrings and consequently their wallets--Arabella's sponsor has spent close to $800 of her own money. The sponsor has a huge emotional (not to mention financial) investment in this dog. Yet Arabella is property of Montgomery County, Texas. Without the volunteers (and I count myself in this group because I've put $150 or so toward her treatment), Arabella would already be dead.

Still, with 40 percent of all incoming dogs testing positive for heartworms, and the fact that the Shelter opts to treat these dogs at the rate of about 8 animals per week and a cost of $25,000 per year (much donated), we need to ponder the difficult issue of resource allocation. It's tough to choose. People will be upset. Some dogs will not get treated. But perhaps it would be better to affect the outcome for the greatest number of dogs.

We're not only faced with choices regarding the extreme cases, we need to develop a better approach to handling distemper cases.

Many distemper dogs are given treatments, and most, especially the puppies, die. The preventive vaccine series costs about $40-$160, depending on where the owner takes the puppy. In our area, many people don't vaccinate their puppies. Whether it is out of ignorance or lack of money is unknown. But the $1,000 spent so far on Arabella would buy a lot of distemper vaccine.

It's a thorny issue with no easy answers. What do you think? What is the best way to compassionately spend limited funds?

Doin' the Distemper Dance

2010-05-25T20:07:00.000-05:00

Distemper is a horror--it is highly contagious, and almost always lethal. Plus, it's dicey to diagnose since the early symptoms mimic other common ailments, including bordetella (kennel cough), upper respiratory infections and the early stages of parvo.

My little foster Chihuahua, Arabella, who we're calling Princess, probably has it. It's tentative because obtaining a distemper diagnosis is not easy. We've got fever (highs up to 104.9 degrees F, currently averaging about 103.4 degrees F), lethargy, despondency, weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, excessive salivation, dehydration and gummy eyes with red rims. The kitchen-sink approach (described two posts earlier in this blog) didn't work. Four days of IVs and antibiotics worked only as long as the catheter was in place.

So now we're trying something new and controversial--the Dr. Sears treatment, which is based on the "Newcastle" vaccine. One of our area Vets who has treated animals from the Shelter is offering the three-day series of serum vaccines (taken from healthy donor dogs). Today, our little Chihuahua received the first of the vaccines, along with an injection of Baytril.

Her sponsor has taken her home tonight because she wants to oversee the dog's treatment. The sponsor is convinced she can do a better job getting the dog to eat (good luck with that). Plus, she doesn't have kids. I'll get the dog back on Thursday, which provides me with a chance to catch my breath. I have another foster dog, plus my own dog. Taking care of this dog has been a challenge because my family is still grieving the loss of our dog, and her symptoms have caused her to look a lot like he did (although he didn't have distemper), which pains my 16-year-old to tears. I don't know if the Newcastle approach will work. All we can do is try.

According to an ABC news report in March, "Spring is considered to be distemper season. But what's happening now is believed to be more than that. Harris County Animal Control is seeing about 20 percent more distemper cases than normal. Then there's the wildlife population. Raccoons are susceptible to distemper. Since January more have been brought into Houston's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center." Distemper outbreaks are also reported in Autstin, and are affecting other states as well as Texas--California and Florida are experiencing upticks in cases. In Toronto, Canada, there is an outbreak of distemper in raccoons that is spreading to dogs.

What galls me is that distemper is one of the most preventable diseases that afflicts dogs. Years ago, of course, it was a rampant killer, but vaccinations for puppies have put a huge dent in the disease's power. However, many people don't vaccinate their puppies--and almost all the puppies from unwanted litters arrive at the Shelter vulnerable to the disease. They are sentenced to death because they are exposed before the vaccines have a chance to take effect.

We can't do much about wild-animal transmission of distemper to dogs, but we can save lives, not mention tons of money, by vaccinating. As for Arabella, only time will tell.

Melodies of Canis lupus

2010-05-22T20:43:00.000-05:00

Interesting. From "Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things"

Shelter Crash and the Kitchen Sink

2010-05-20T13:11:00.000-05:00

This is "Princess" (what my daughter is calling her), aka "Aribella," a Chi Mix foster. She is I have a foster dog that is suffering from "Shelter Crash" as I call the decline that begins shortly after pulling the dog from the Shelter. The "Crash" includes an array of symptoms that range from loss of appetite to loose stools, lethargy and fever. Princess arrived Mother's Day with the "zoomies" and a very active kissy-tongue, but a week later, she lost her pep and zip.

Princess has lost weight she couldn't afford to lose, won't eat much but hand-fed boiled chicken, and won't drink, so we've done sub-cus twice and I'm giving her watered down Royal Canin Recovery by syringe. She still wags her tail and trots a bit outside, but retreats to her crate or the blankets by the recliner. Two days ago, she spiked a fairly high fever. She had a cursory exam by a Vet on Sunday, and has seen another Vet (better--i.e., more attuned to Shelter dog issues) on Monday. We're heading back this afternoon because she hasn't perked up the way she needs too, although at least she isn't declining horrifically fast.

Meanwhile, we're doing the Kitchen Sink treatment--she's been wormed, and has the bordetella booster, and isn't a puppy, so we're pretty sure it's not parvo. She's taking an Albon-Metroniadazaole combo in liquid, plus a docycline tablet, plus she's had three days of penicillin injections with B12 added along with some other anti-biotic. I have given her some Purina foriflora powder and have an anti-diarrhea tablet but haven't given her that since she hasn't had a bowel movement.

So...what's the deal? This has happened before with my fosters. They come home chipper, then crash and burn. So we try a little of everything because under most circumstances we don't do any diagnostics via blood tests. This little girl's coughing, discharging snot or wheezing, but it still could be disptemper. Or giardia, or some other parasite. Of course, there's one other unknown--she's not been tested for heartworms. I don't think her symptoms point to heartworms, but then, I'm no Vet. Plus I think she's coming into heat.

I hope we can get this dog back into shape--she's a little character and will make someone an awesome pet.

Weekend Shelter Snapshots

2010-05-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

My dog Cross

Snapshot 1: Kitten season is in full swing at the Shelter. Tiny, mewling felines are arriving by the basket-load. People find kittens and don't see the mom (who is probably hiding nearby), so assume the babies have been abandoned and bring them in. We're out of kitten fosters (I am not one of those special people who can deal with tiny kittens). The kittens have no defenses, so they get sick. On Saturday, I saw staff people cradling three different dead or dying kittens. I asked one of the Shelter staffers on Sunday how her day was going. She smiled wanly and said, "Well, at least I haven't had any dead kittens today."

Snapshot 2: A five-and-one-half black shepherd mix puppy is tied with a slip-leash to a door-jamb. He bats at passersby with his paws and twinkles happily. He was adopted on Saturday afternoon and brought on Sunday at noon. Supposedly he has diarrhea (what young dog in the Shelter doesn't have loose stools?). But the client told the intake staffer at the front desk, "The dog is going to be too big for my house." This begs the question: Why the hell didn't she think about size BEFORE adopting a young dog? Geez, people put more thought and planning into selecting the right computer than they do in choosing to take home a pet.

Snapshot 3: I was at the Shelter loading dogs for an off-site. I have never been able to develop the steely resolve to simply not make eye contact with any client who might have a question. Our customer-service is so bad that I can't keep from trying to answer questions. So the guy asks, "Do you have any English Bulldogs?" English Bulldogs are the big status dog around town and the breeders charge outrageous prices for them, and puppies are scarcer than quick solutions to the Gulf Oil Spill. We rarely get English Bulldogs. I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking the guy if he had researched the breed. He really needs to be asking, "Do you have any cute, squishy-faced dogs who can't breathe, suffer from countless joint and intestinal problems, and who get all sorts of challenging skin infections, many of which will be made much worse by the humidity of a Houston summer? I've got a raft-load of money I don't know how to spend so I think I'll get an English Bulldog."

Snapshot 4: We can only take strays from our own county. But our client base comes from three counties. It's always fun to explain to the man with the mange-ridden box of feral puppies that we can't take them because he found them in Harris County and not Montgomery County.

Snapshot 5: Please, please be honest with your children. Bringing that little kitten you found to the Shelter does not guarantee that it will live happily ever after. Especially when its eyes and nose are cemented with gunk and it's already limp in your hands. Don't tell them that the nice Shelter people will give it the loving care it needs--neatly avoiding the obvious fact that the kitten is nearly dead. At least inform your kids (and no, I don't think nine or ten is too young to be upfront about death and the irresponsibility that encourages it) that the kitten will be put out of its suffering and misery, and will be going over the Rainbow Bridge.

Snapshot 6: I have two fosters, including a cute Chihuahua mix who crashed on Sunday morning, one week after I got her. We finagled a Vet exam paid for by a donor, but that was cursory. I have meds from the Shelter, so my BFF who is a Vet Tech and I spent almost two hours trying to get sub-cu fluids into the dog to combat a 104.5 degree fever. Last night, the dog's temperature was down and she ate a bit this morning. It could be distemper (although she is an adult dog) or giardia or coccidia. Time will tell.

Making the Call

2010-05-11T21:54:00.001-05:00

Today, I delivered an old, ill, befuddled male chihuahua into the arms of the Shelter Vet Tech for euthanization. I made the decision on an animal that people had been fretting about for two days.

One volunteer thought the dog was just "despondent." Another admitted that the animal was near its end, but felt that someone should take the dog home and let it "pass away" on its own. A staff person desperately wanted the dog to have time "outside the Shelter" before it died.

The dog in question was a stray-hold dog whose time was up today. He was a tiny, old, cinnamon-colored male chihuahua, coated in flea dander, gummy-eyed, disoriented, shaking, and hacking with advanced heartworms. The poor old man couldn't even stand--when I set him on the grass outside, his hindquarters quivered and he staggered once, then collapsed. His ears were at half mast and his head was as jiggly as a bobble-head toy.

I have two foster dogs. My own dog just died (and this little guy's staggers looked suspiciously similar to what I saw in my own dog during his last hours). A staffer gave the old dog a Capstar with a bit of wet cat food. Cat food works wonders with ailing dogs--he perked up and ate a few more bites. I gave him a bath to wash off the bulk of the flea crap and rubbed him warm with a clean towl, then wrapped him in a piece of fleece.

I took him outside and set him down on the grass. He staggered, then collapsed. He didn't whine or complain. He just worked himself into a down position and lay there, blinking blearily in the warm sun. I watched him, tears filling my eyes. I couldn't take him home. No one else had volunteered. We had no way to diagnose what was wrong with him. After about twenty minutes, I bundled the old dog up and took him back into the Shelter. I showed him to the Shelter Director, who is a Vet. She watched him wobble and sag. She told me to go to see the Vet Tech, neatly avoiding pronouncing the death sentence.

I admire our Vet Tech immensely. Some of the volunteers think she is harsh and curt with people, but she is focused on doing what she can with exceedingly limited resources. I unwrapped the little guy, set him on the floor. He listed, then fell. The Vet Tech looked at me and said, "There are two options for this dog. Take him out of here, make him comfortable, and let him die. Or put him down now."

"I can't take him home," I said, which was not an excuse. "I want to put him down." The Vet Tech nodded. I carried the dog and we walked out of the receiving area, up the hall to a door marked "Private." The Vet Tech unlocked the door, took the dog and his paperwork and turned. Just before she closed the door, I said, "Wait. Let me say goodbye." I kissed his little head and rubbed his flea-scarred ears. "You were someone's good Chihuahua," I said, "You are a good boy. It will be better now." She turned away with the dog. The door shut with a click.

I have a message on my phone from a volunteer praising me for "taking that poor dog home." She won't be happy to know that I made the decision to have the dog put down. He had as good an end as I could give him--he was cleaner, warm, fed and stroked. He went to the Euthanization room wrapped in a clean fleece blanket.

Some people will consider me the villain. But I hate the way we throw energy and resources at dogs that come to us in such horrible shape. The person at fault is that dog's owner. If that dog was abandoned or turned in as a stray, it was because his owner was too cowardly to make the difficult decision I made this afternoon. That dog's suffering is over. I sent him off with as much dignity as I could muster.

-*-
I didn't have my camera with me today or I would have taken a dozen photos of that old Chihuahua. This photo has been altered from an Internet image.

Old-School Labs

2010-05-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

I found a copy of “The Golden Stamp Book of Dogs” at a thrift store this week and while flipping through the pages, I was struck by the way breed standards have changed over the years. The edition I have was printed in 1966, but bears a 1953 copyright, indicating when the photos used in the stamps were taken. What caught my eye was the page about Labrador Retrievers.

The stamp featured a glossy coated Black Lab, which was interesting, since Yellow Labs are by far the more popular of the two main coat colors. I did a Google search for “black Labrador retriever,” and about one-third of the photos showed Yellow or Golden Labs. Chocolate and even “Silver” Labs also came up in the search results.

More significantly, what I noticed about the Lab in the Golden Book stamp was how different the body types are today. Labs are extremely popular in Texas, both as pets and hunting dogs. The purebreds I see at the dog parks are huge—with wide, blocky heads, deep jowls, broad chests, with thick barrels, fuller, longer-haired tails, and plushy coats. The photos below are from breeders’ Internet sites and are typical of the purebred Labs in my area.

I don’t have any hard data to support this, but the “Labs” that arrive at my Shelter every day tend to resemble the dog in the stamp photo. They are lighter-boned, with higher tucks in the flank, leaner barrels, more tapered heads, less conspicuous dewlaps and jowls, and generally have shorter, sleeker coats. Mind you, many of our animals are what horse people would call “grade” level, even if they are purebred. And a large number of our Labs are mixed breed, primarily Pit Bull, but also Vizla, Catahoula, or Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Still, many of our Shelter Labs are dead-ringers for the old-school Labs shown on the stamp. It’s amazing to look back to see how standards have affected an individual breed.

Check out this video from a breeder of German Shepherd dogs to see how the standards of the “German” and “American” lines have altered the profile of the “champion” GSD. The video begins with photos from the 1940s and ends in the 2000s, and the images dramatize the extreme effects of breeding for specific conformation types. You can compare the GSD on the Golden Stamp Cover with today's show ring GSD and immediately tell the difference

However, if you’re in Texas and are looking for a Lab, come check out our Old-School Labs at MCAS!

My Newest Foster

2010-05-06T20:49:00.001-05:00

Meet Tucker, my newest foster. He's been on my "project dog" list at the Shelter for more than a week, and on Tuesday, I brought him home. He's a sweet, young dog with a toffee-colored coat, the biggest brown eyes and soft, floppy ears. We think he's a Beagle-Chihuahua mix. He's a little bigger than my dog Taco was, but far too skinny, so he's getting extra meals for now.

He had worms and kennel cough, and I got him put into the Iso Ward so he could get medication. I couldn't bring him home because of Taco's illness, but now he's here. Tonight we went on our first walk--he was skittish but settled into the rhythm pretty well. Cross, my little Rat Terrier is ignoring him. Tucker is so happy to be out of the Shelter. And my daughter perked up the moment I brought him home. When he has gained some weight, he'll go to Off-Sites. He will make someone a wonderful pet. And for us, he's soothing our sadness.

Think Before You Get a Dog

2010-05-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

You may have seen this video--I found it on Stumpy's blog here. I plan to forward it to some of my Shelter friends. While actors are reading the voiceovers, the excuses are the ones I hear every day at the shelter. Watch it. Share it. And thank you, Stumpy!

Go Buy Shelter Pet Stamps

2010-05-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Maybe I need to send less email and write more letters so I can use these awesome animal rescue stamps that debuted at U.S. Post Offices on April 30, 2010.

The 10 different 44-cent stamps commemorate the USPS Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet program. The stamps are designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., and photographed by Sally Anderson-Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut. If you go the USPS web-site, you can roll your mouse over the images and find out more about each of these special animals. Not only can you buy the stamps to use or to add to your philatelic collection, you can order a cool certificate for your dog or cat that includes a post-marked first-day cover stamp and the spaces for you to record your own furry friend’s adoption data.

As an animal rescue volunteer, I worked on Friday, April 30th for my local Shelter to help with a major off-site event held at the Conroe, TX, Post Office. Although it was rainy, we had a sharp looking set up with tents and a couple dozen adoptable pets from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter in what was an unique tie-in to the rescue stamp debut. We didn't place that many animals, but we made a good impression and talked to a lot of people about the Shelter's goals for the future.

On the Loss of a Good Dog

2010-04-30T06:09:00.000-05:00

Taco, December 15, 2001 to April 29, 2010.

On Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 6:15 p.m. I had to hold my 10-year-old Miniature Pinscher, Taco, as he was put down. My husband, Reggie, my 16-year-old daughter, Ruth, and my dear friend, Shirley, were with Taco at the end. Dr. Ruth Ainsworth at Village Vet in Sterling Ridge administered the pink injection. We will have him cremated.

We thought we had licked the liver infection and had him on the road to recovery, but yesterday he began to suffer neurological distress--weakness in the hindquarters, which progressed to staggering and falling, along with impaired vision and vertigo. The Vet determined it was hepatic encephalopathy--the neurological decline that comes from cirrhosis of the liver. Essentially, toxic chemicals were building in his brain, causing muscle control loss and eyesight stress. Taco must have been light-sensitive because two days before, he was barking at the little light on the ADT alarm pad and the red-light in the anti-pest plug-in device.

In spite of his staggers, Taco had a good last day--he ate his breakfast with fairly good vigor, he got to snuggle with me under a blanket in the mid-morning and patrolled his yard (lurching), and he sat calmly at in Ruth's lap and let us all love on him before it was time.

We had Taco since December 2001, and got him at a PetsMart Adoption event in Louisiana. He was a quirky little dog, but a very good dog. He killed rats and moles, could jump five feet straight into the air, always had to work for treats, and once stood up to a husky (and lost). He loved to jingle his collar tags for attention, and if that wasn't enough, he was a loud barker. He was nippy and ugly with toys, especially his favorite "uggee bone." He tore up all the blinds he could reach whenever he saw something he wanted to attack on the other side of the window. He was bossy toward other dogs and only tolerated Cross, our little Rat Terrier Mix, although this last month, we could tell he was really quite bonded with her. In short, Taco generally swaggered around like a buff stud-muffin in a 14-inch high,17-pound stag red Min-Pin body. He was a brave little guy.

His six-week battle began on March 12, triggered perhaps by his nom-ing on a squirrel carcass, and cost over $5,000. However, he had improved and was eating on his own again after having to have force-fed slurry and sub-cu fluids. We thought he was recovering. I have never worked so hard to take care of a dog. Plus, I never dreamed I would do what I did for this particular dog (he was VERY quirky--a bite-first, ask questions later little terrier-killing machine).

Taco will be much on my mind over this weekend and in the near future as I do my part with dog adoption off-sites.

What We Learn from Shelter Dogs

2010-04-26T10:32:00.001-05:00

Here’s a story about two shelter dogs. In early February, an elderly woman surrendered two dogs to the Shelter. She had had the dogs since each was a puppy, but was caring for her husband (who had terminal cancer) and he was becoming anxious when the dogs came to him for attention. The woman wrote a one-page, single-spaced bio for each dog, including everything about how much food they ate, what toys they liked and so on. She attached their original adoption paperwork, health records and microchip information.

I did not witness this intake, but after reading the dogs’ bios, I didn’t get the feeling that this was a casual or easy decision. It is easy to make a snap judgment and claim that we’d never do such a thing, but I prefer to err on the side of mercy. I don’t know if this woman would have made a different decision if we could have offered her options—say if we could have found a temporary foster for her dogs. We all know that more needs to be done to help older people prepare for the time when they can’t care for their pets without help.

I met “Hapa” (a Hawaiian word meaning half-breed), a fluffy Keeshound mix, and “Bear” (a black German Shepherd mix) on a Monday, the day after their intake while selecting dogs for a week-long PetsMart adoption event. I immediately put them on my Off-Site list. They clean, healthy, and extremely despondent. Bear was particularly attached to Hapa. Both dogs had impeccable manners—they walked at a heel, sat on command, and could sit up for a treat.

At the end of the Off-Site, I convinced a brand-new Off-Site helper, Jeff, to take these two dogs home so they didn’t have to go back into the chaos of the Shelter. He had dogs of his own (don’t we all?) and could only keep them crated in his garage. The weather was cool, so that was fine.

It took about a month to find a new home for Hapa and Bear. Extremely bonded dogs can be adopted separately, but it was clear that these dogs –who were about six years old—would do best if placed together, so that that was the game plan. Jeff was an awesome foster. He spent his own money to have some Vet work done on one of the dog’s teeth (there was some rot) and did other things to keep the dogs healthy. Several people wrote up ads and placed them on the local on-line sources and told our friends and acquaintances about these dogs. The dogs eventually found a home.

When I heard the complete tale, I felt a bit guilty about encouraging Jeff—who a brand-new volunteer!—to take on these dogs, but it was his choice. I saw Jeff this weekend. He has had other fosters since Hapa and Bear. He is a great volunteer and is focused on what’s best for the dogs. Here’s what he wrote me about his experience with Hapa and Bear:

“I really did mean it when I said I wanted to thank you for getting me involved the first night. To repeat myself, I learned a lot from Bear and Hapa in terms of what is really important in life-- in terms of what a person spends time on. I gained some personal intestinal fortitude from the attitude of those two very strong dogs.

“They accepted their current circumstances and handled them very bravely and showed such gratitude with their unadulterated affection every morning when I went out to feed them. They were very brave and courageous dogs and deserve the loving environment in which they now live. I think of them every so often and will never forget their attentive look to me when I would say from 30 feet away – “Where are those two good girls?”

I hear stories like this from other volunteers. We may be helping the dogs, but in so many cases, it is the dogs who help us the most.

Drive-By Drop-Offs

2010-04-23T10:59:00.001-05:00

Puppy season is in full swing—which means that unplanned, unwanted, and often uncared-for, litters of puppies are being brought to the Shelter. Puppies arrive in clothes baskets, kennels, and cardboard boxes. Technically, the person surrendering puppies, even strays, should go inside the shelter and fill out paperwork. Most of the time, there is a fee for surrendering a litter, along with some paperwork that is meant to deter multiple drop-offs from owners who neglect to spay or neuter their animals.

However, not all surrenders are done the right way. Puppies are often dropped off at night, left behind the plastic picket fence of the play area where where potential adopters and Shelter dogs get to know each other. Sometimes they are left in old dog crates or big boxes by the front door. About a month, a volunteer found two tiny puppies huddled on top of a trash can full of soda cans and fast-food cartons. Amazingly, the puppies were alive and managed to survive.

Brazen drop-offs occur in the parking lot. On April 12^th, according to Dr. Patricia Ryan, the MCAS Shelter director, a pick-up truck pulled up and a young man leaped out and tossed a large cardboard box in front of the door, with many little furry heads and ears sticking out of the top, cruelty jolted when it hit the pavement. The head officer of Animal Control witnessed the event from inside the shelter. He rushed out the door--but the truck had alreay spun out and was fish-tailing down the driveway at an amazing speed!

The box contained 15 beautiful brown and black pups were in that box, their little faces serious, eyes wide and innocent. The officer did get the license plate number, so if the culprit gets pulled over for some other violation, maybe we’ll see some justice. As Dr. Ryan noted, “When this happens, we all look at each other and say, ‘Well...it could have been worse.’ The guy could have dumped them in the water or by the road.” Dr. Ryan added that on that day more than 30 puppies (including the 15 abandoned pups) plus several litters of kittens arrived at the Shelter.

-*-

Photo found on Flickr; altered in Photoshop

Swallow. The. Pill.

2010-04-21T16:40:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of "Married to the Sea: The Champagne of Comics," February 10, 2010.

We normally don't have this much trouble giving the monthly heartworm prevention tablet, but I have kept this pinned on the bulletin board for the duration of my dog's illness.

Taco is still taking meds 3 times daily--we give him 3 syringes worth of vitamins and antibiotics/pepcids twice a day, plus I have two other tablets that I try to sneak down with pill pockets. I hold him in the Vet Tech Hug and my daughter (who has become quite skilled at this) handles the syringes. The pill pockets are tricky. He can work the tablet out with his tongue, and yet he gets snappy if I try to approach him while he's guarding the slobbery pill pocket. If we lucky, he bolts down the pill and the pill pocket mess before I can intervene.

Adoption Updates!

2010-04-20T17:13:00.000-05:00

Most of the dog adoptions I complete are done at off-site locations such as PetsMart or at local community festivals. Consequently, I don't normally get to see my dogs with their new families except by chance. Even with my foster placements, I don't have a way to do much beyond a follow-up by phone--I represent the County and and have no legal claim to the dogs I place.

However, two of my fosters have been placed with friends and one adopter--"Peaches," the puppy mill Chihuahua--has sent me several emails.

"Felicity," a little grey-and-black dog is now named "Chloe" and has a home with a friend of mine who lives near Cut-and-Shoot, Texas. Chloe has a best buddy, Dexter (a mini-schnauzer) and loves to run out to greet the Great Pyrenees that guard my friends' goats. My friend says she thinks that Chloe may be part Papillan and part Terrier. I plan to go out and visit Chloe soon.

"Peaches" found a wonderful home with a semi-retired couple who live in Missouri. They spent the winter months here in Texas and first met Peaches at a PetsMart event in mid-February. They came with their rescue dog (a sweet little Japanese Chin named "Chappie") and spent the afternoon with me. Peaches fell in love with the husband and very quickly adjusted to being the Queen of the Motorhome, with Chappie as her loyal subject. She is now at her new home in Missouri and loves her yard and likes to chase one of the housecats. Peaches' family sends me emails on a regular basis, which is great because we still miss Peaches.

I wish I could see how "Rusty," my little heartworm-positive Miniature Pinscher, is doing. I called his people twice, but would just like to know if he's still with them. The staff knows that if one of my foster dogs ever comes back to the Shelter they are to call me ASAP. I also always tell the adopters that if things should change, they can call me and I'll make arrangements to get the dog.

Shameless Self-Promotion

2010-04-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

As those who are my dedicated readers know, I enjoy making art--whether with paper, glue and scissors or my scanner and Photoshop. I like using my artwork in my blog posts, but I don't want to mix my artsy life with my animal rescue blogging. So, to that end, I invite those of you who might be interested to visit my new creative blog, "El Rancho Not So Grande" by clicking on the longhorn steer link in the sidebar.

I am not planning to slack off on "We Don't Rent Puppies." In fact, now that my own dog, Taco, is over the crisis of his illness, I plan to do off-site adoptions again. I can't have a foster dog until I get the all-clear from Taco's Vet, but I have some news about some of my adoptions, so I'll be posting some updates.

I began "We Don't Rent Puppies" a year ago last March, and I now have about 45 followers. I'm nearly at 100 posts, too, which is a good milestone to reach in Blogland.

I appreciate all my readers' comments. Together, we're making a difference in the lives of animals. If you have an blog that I should add to my Blogroll list, leave a comment with the link. Again, thanks for your support!

If you like what you see over at "El Rancho Not So Grande," let me know!

-*-
Artwork: My new dog-related business cards from Moo!

Lucky Dog

2010-04-18T17:51:00.000-05:00

My Miniature Pinscher, Taco, is one lucky, lucky dog—after more than a month of battling a liver ailment, he appears to be fully on the road to recovery. Yesterday, he began eating out of his bowl, and not just sniffing disdainfully at the food. He’s more likely to follow me around in his normal nosey way. He’s had a couple barking spells. And today, the effusion (swelling) in his lower abdomen is clearly diminished.

He still requires meds, including some pills I’ve not been able to get down him. Yesterday he actually took a pill in a pill pocket! Now I have a regimen of meds to improve his liver and guard against ulcer formation. Plus, he’ll stay on antibiotics for another couple weeks.

I’ve not had a foster dog since his illness began and I’ve been too worn out from working with him to do off-site adoptions for the Shelter. My Adoption Team Coordinator has about given up on me. But I just couldn’t focus on the Shelter dogs while my own pet’s illness was so severe.

Here’s what I’ve learned from my experience with Taco:

Be aware that animal treatments are as comprehensive today as human treatments. It should go without saying, but it still threw me for a loop. Taco’s illness would have resulted in certain death perhaps only five or ten years ago. The Vets who cared for the beloved dogs of our childhoods didn’t have sophisticated blood testing, portable sonogram equipment and specially trained personnel to read the results. Plasma transfusions for companion animals were a rarity. All these procedures are readily available, for a price, to most Vets today.
Decide before your dog gets sick what you will do when presented with expensive (and often escalating) treatment options. One of my friends had some lipomas removed from her 7-year-old Cattle Dog’s torso. When her Vet asked if she wanted to have the tissue sent out to analyzed for cancer, she declined. “I didn’t want to know if the tissue was malignant or not. If it came back cancerous, we’d feel too guilty to not treat it,” she explained. “We decided we’d do the removal of the lipomas for the dog’s comfort, but we weren’t going to go further.” To some people, this may sound harsh, but it’s reasonable—my friend is committed to providing palliative care, but not treatment that may or may not work.
Ask about euthanization costs before the need arises. Some Vets charge an additional cost to euthanize a client’s pet, and others don’t charge faithful clients for the actual injections. There are often other charges that are mandated—disposal fees, etc. Ask so you know ahead of time.
Decide what you want to do with your pet’s remains. If you plan to bury your pet’s remains on your property, you need to make sure local ordinances permit this. Cremation is a popular way to handle a pet’s remains, but procedures and costs vary. The April 2010 print copy of “Houston Pet Talk” has an extremely good article about pet loss, and includes suggestions on how to evaluate the services offered by pet cremation companies
Consider Pet Health Insurance. I don’t have insurance on my pets. My Mom used to carry pet insurance on her pets, but doesn’t now. I asked my Vet for a brochure from the company honored by my doctor’s practice (I use VCA, a corporate Vet, with franchises nationwide—the reasons why are better left for a post in the future). I’m not purchasing insurance, but I did review the brochure. I might consider it in the future. I need more information.

What do you think about pet cremation or pet health insurance? Leave me a comment!

We Are Nearly Out of the Woods

2010-04-16T08:07:00.001-05:00

Buddies
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

Finally, I think we're on the road to recover with Taco, my Miniture Pinscher (left in the photo) who has been battling a liver issue since March 12th, when he got ahold of a dead squirrel. It's taken $5,000 (yup, you read that right, not that I'm thrilled about it) and round-the-clock effort but he's starting to act like his old self again.

We're still having to force-feed him 2 times daily (a high-protein, low-fat slurry fed through a big syringe) just to keep his protein intake up, but his energy and attitude have vastly improved. This week he has finally begun showing interest in his toys again--he got the "ugee bone" ( a bone-on-a-rope thing) and guarded it vigorously. Yesterday, he "stole" one of Cross's squeaky toys and pushed it at my hands, trying to get me to tug it. He worked at making the squeaker peep for several minutes. He is also starting to lurk under the table again when we eat. We're so relieved.

Would I have spent this much money and effort if I'd known up front what the costs would be? I don't know--we love this dog, but he's always been a challenge-dog. He is mouthy, pushy and doesn't always play well with others. I've owned a muzzle to use when I handle him for medical purposes for years. Our female, Cross, is far more people-oriented and sweet-tempered than this guy.

But we spent the money because he's our dog and we're responsible for him. The potential for prolonged treatment and vet bills is just part of dog ownership, and it is something people need to think about before adding a dog to their lives.

Animal Control Officer Accused of Shooting Puppy

2010-04-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

A German Shepherd puppy belonging to a family in Galena Park, Texas (a Houston suburb) was apparently killed in February by a gunshot wound and found in a trash bin. Juan Enrique Hernandez, 40, an animal control officer for the city of Galena Park, has been accused of shooting the dog, rather than taking it to the pound. Hernandaz is free on $2,000 bond after being arraigned on April 7, 2010, charged with animal cruelty. Read the Houston Chronicle article here.

Events such as this one inflict incredible psychic damage on all animal-control divisions, even the responsible ones. I know that the administration in our Shelter continues to deal with misconceptions from the public, as well questionable tactics from its employees. Things are much, much better at our Shelter than they were, but nowhere close to perfect. The problem with abusive behavior is that it can overt, like the report above, or subversive and hard to see.

No matter what actually prompted the Galena Park incident, an animal control officer surely didn’t need to use such excessive force in order to subdue a two-month old puppy. It will be interesting to learn why this was allowed to happen.

Shooting a puppy brings to mind the horrific abuses after Hurricane Katrina when parish officers may have involved in the wholesale slaughter of pets that had been left by their desperate owners at a local school in Saint Bernard parish when their owners were evacuated. Not even scrawled notes on classroom doors pleading for help and vouching that the animals inside were “good dogs” prevented those pets from dying.

Certainly, an animal control officer’s job isn’t easy or even enviable. I also know that abuses of power occur and are often brushed aside as simply a downside of the job. Even when an animal control officer is doing the right thing—using a restraint pole to control a large, feral dog—it is often a distressing, even violent, sight. Outright stupidity, slip-shod cruelty and wanton abuse have no place in today’s shelter world.

I hope that the officer involved in the Galena Park case receives justice.

There's No Free Lunch--or Free Dog

2010-04-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

One of my Dad’s favorite sayings is there’s “no free lunch.” When working with clients who are considering one of our Shelter’s dogs, I echo my Dad’s assessment, adjusting it to, “There are no free dogs.”

Recently, our Shelter altered its fee structure, reducing the cost to adopt a dog or cat from $100 to $75. We also offer lower fees for senior animals, multiple adoptions and long-term Shelter animals. The current fee includes the animal’s spay/neuter, rabies shot, bordetella preventive, yearly vaccination, microchip and a heartworm test (but not treatment, if needed). This is quite a deal—the spay or neuter alone can run around $300 at a local Vet’s office, once meds and other costs are added.

However, many of our clients feel that even $75 is too much for a Shelter dog. True, many of our dogs will need additional Vet attention to combat Shelter-induced infections such as kennel cough, worms, mange, mites, fleas, coccidia and other ailments, but no matter how you look at it, the point-of-purchase (and let’s face it, legally, this is a sale, not an adoption) cost is the least expensive part of owning a dog.

If you get your dog from Craigslist, you can get a “free dog” but most of the ads I see list a “re-homing” fee (which is really a price) ranging from $25 to $800. Of course, the Craigslist flaggers get busy when the “re-homing fee” for a dog is more than $100, but their vigilance has more to do with the stated rules of Craigslist than anything else. In our local paper, some breeds of puppies are marketed at $1,800 or more.

No matter the take-home cost, dogs are not “maintenance-free.”

Regular basic care for a year (including heartworm prevention, regular shots, one Wellness Vet visit with routine shots & fecal/blood tests, decent food and purchases such as bedding, leashes and a few toys) in our area runs about $300 to $600, depending on the size of the dog.

And that’s assuming your dog doesn’t get sick, hit by a car, attacked by another dog or otherwise suffer a serious illness or contract a chronic condition.

For most folks, the costs of a caring for a healthy dog are not problematic. The joy of having a companion animal is well worth it. But when an animal is ill, all bets are off.

So far, I’ve spent about $5,000 treating my dog, Taco, for a severe liver infection due to his dog-natural tendency to nom on dead squirrels. He is about 9 or 10 years old, and was very healthy before this illness. When I opted to start treatment, I was prepared for $2,000 but not double that and more. At each step, I asked my Vet, “Am I throwing money at a dying dog?” And each time, it was clear I was dealing with a critically sick dog, but not one that was at death’s door—unless I simply decided to stop treatment entirely. Of course, the outcome electing not to do IV fluids and one plasma treatment (which were pricey) would have meant death for the dog.

I’ve halted treatments on my own dogs before (both personal pets and foster animals). I have even selected euthanasia when the Vet recommended it. In short, I don’t think I’ve plunged blindly into trying to heroically save a dog’s life when I should have simply “let him die.”

I have sacrificed my summer vacation and a computer upgrade to treat this dog. I haven’t been able to do off-site work or take on a new foster dog. I have learned how to do all sorts of things I never dreamed I’d need to know how to do—how to muzzle and force meds down a dog, how to administer sub-cu fluids, and how to give a dog an enema. I am out of money and worn out. And it’s not over yet. My dog is still not fully recovered. He’s a lot better, and he’s one lucky dog, but he sure as heck ain’t a “free dog.”

When I’m back doing off-sites and my clients start fretting about the cost, I may have to remind them that the cheapest part of dog ownership may well be the point of purchase.

How to Hold a Nippy Dog

2010-03-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

We are learning all sorts of new skills from our experiences with my Min Pin, Taco, who has been battling severe gastro-intestinal illnesses since March 12^th.

A very dear friend of mine has been helping me give Taco sub-cu fluids (I’ve learned how to hold the needle in place once she slides it under the skin). Today we reviewed the process for the “Vet Tech Hug,” which allowed us to administer medicines (pills crushed and dissolved in distilled water and Hills Science Diet A/D food mixed into a thick slurry (20 ccs at a time, administered by mouth through a big syringe). Taco’s severe pain has made him extremely bitey, and I’ve got bruises and small punctures from his sharp teeth. Fortunately, he is a small dog, so the bites are small, but his jaws are very powerful. It hurts like the dickens when he clamps down on a fingerful of Nutri-Cal.

The “Vet Tech Hug” method requires two people, a towel and a slip leash. The towel is spread on the table to stabilize the dog. The slip leash is for back up control at the beginning and end of the hug. The dog is left un-muzzled for this process. The holder encircles the dog’s neck, using the crook of the elbow like a vise to still the dog’s neck and lift the dog’s snout toward the ceiling. With the other arm, the holder encircles the dogs body—I’m more comfortable putting my arm over the topline, but it can be easier to slide the arm underneath the dog’s belly. You pull the dog toward your torso, hugging the animal in a firm squeeze.

I do the holding, and I have to get the grip right on the first go, otherwise, a dog Taco’s size can get leverage with his forelegs and pull his neck out of the grip or snap at my face. I don’t have a photo, but you can get the idea of the position from the picture above, which I found on Flickr.

While the dog is in my arms, my friend or my husband can take a prepared syringe and squeeze liquefied pills or food into the dog’s mouth. The key is to place the tip of the syringe in the small gap between the perimolars, as shown in the diagram below. The dog may mouth the syringe with its canines, but it’s almost impossible for the dog to bite down. Plus, this puts the syringe tip far enough back in the mouth that the dog is forced to swallow the liquid.

So far, we have given Taco half of his medication dosage for the day and have fed Taco 60 ccs of liquid food (20 ccs at a time, every hour and a half). The third syringe of food went down with only minimal resistance on Taco’s part. We’ll feed him again twice before bed tonight and give him his meds.

On Monday, Taco will have another sonogram. My Vet reviewed the numbers on his liver bloodwork and she suspects sludge in the gallbladder. A sonogram will confirm that and give us a clear look at the liver and other organs. Yes, it’s another expense, but if the gall bladder has been affected, it’s actually one of the easier issues to treat. There’s a possibility that Taco has developed pancreatitis, but we’ll have to wait until Monday. For now, the key is to get him eating (hopefully on his own) and to get his meds down his throat without getting bitten.

Memories of Old Yeller

2010-03-26T08:11:00.000-05:00

We all know what happened to “Old Yeller” in the classic book and Disney film, and we all bawled our eyes out. Of course, back in the days when Old Yeller fought bears and contracted rabies, advanced veterinarian treatments were non-existent.

Today, vet care is as sophisticated as human medical care—even if it is without a bitter Congressional fight—and owners can treat their animals for an ever-expanding range of maladies at an ever-increasing cost.

I’ve spent more than $3,000 on a rescue dog I’ve owned for 10 years. Back when we went to the PetsMart adoption event, we never visualized this, of course. We saw a cute, spirited Miniature Pinscher. We didn’t know he would be a dominant, nippy little twit, but after all these years, we love him, even with his drawbacks.

I was describing Taco’s recent illness to a group of friends, and an older man began describing how his family cared for the dogs of his youth: “We had dogs on our farm in Wisconsin,” he said. “And we never did much for them, but they were healthy and lived a long time. We didn’t even feed them fancy dog food. And we never took them to a Vet. We might have called a Vet for a cow, maybe, but never for a dog.” He was appalled that I had spent so much on “just a dog.”

I didn’t get into it with the gentleman, but 30 or 40 years ago, when he was a boy in Wisconsin, a farm dog might have lived for 3 or 4 years before getting injured, ill or hit by a vehicle. Dogs simply “ran off” never to be seen again. Even when I was a kid in the 1960s, if you had a dog that lived to be 7 or 8, that was an “old dog.” A very old dog.

Most Vets still consider a dog a senior at age 7, but vaccinations, spay/neuter programs, better food nutrition, preventive health checks and a growing list of drugs and treatment options have extended the life-span of our pets. Today, I meet people with 14-year-old Golden Retreivers who still take (slow) daily walks and 18-year-old Dachshunds who might be hobbled with cataracts and toothless, but they still have pep. Advances in Vet care today mean that if you want to spend the money, you can provide your ill pet with blood transfusions, open heart surgery, joint replacement and sophisticated cancer treatments.

Have I spent too much on my nasty little Min Pin? I don’t know. As I told my husband, the time to decide how much you want to spend is BEFORE you are involved in a full-bore treatment plan. I could have stopped, I suppose, after my first visit—skipping the pricey emergency care and nixing the follow-ups. My dog would be dead now simply due to system collapse and dehydration. I’m taking him to the Vet this morning, after watching him slip into a decline last night. However, this morning, his whole attitude seems better.

Still, I warned my daughter that we might have to make that big Decision with this dog. I told I needed to be honest with her—I needed to know if she wants to be with Taco when/if euthanization is needed. She said yes she did. Meanwhile, my conscience won’t let me just abandon this dog to death if reasonable efforts will help him improve. My Vet, at this point, believes he is a good candidate for total recovery. So for now, I will hand over my credit card.

Taco's Illness Worsens

2010-03-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

What an ordeal. The last two weeks have gone by in a blur due to my Miniature Pinscher Taco’s fateful encounter with a dead squirrel. Since I discovered him with a squirrel carcass, I have been to three different veterinarian offices, and have spent more than $3,000 dealing with his symptoms.

We’ll never know for sure, but my Vet thinks we’re dealing with Salmonella. Taco went downhill the Saturday after our first Vet visit on March 12^th, in spite of three injections (anti-bacterial, anti-nausea and pain medication). He stopped eating. His eyes grew squinty, his gums were engorged red but very tacky, and he bit at us while we tried to medicate him.

On March 14^th we took him to the San Antonio Animal Emergency Clinic, which is rated second in the state of Texas behind the facilities at Texas A&M. Taco spent the night with IV fluids and antibiotics, along with heating pads to raise his abnormal and dangerously low temperature. There were Xrays and a sonogram. No sign of tumor, no sign of pancreatic distress, no damage to the liver. Just sever inflammation all along the gastric track and inflammation around the liver.

March 15^th and 16^th were spent at Spring Branch Vetinerary Clinic, where my Mom takes her dogs. We brought him home on March 18^th and he saw his regular doctor on March 19^th. His blood work was improved and she gave him 300 ccs of sub-cu fluids, a powerful anti-biotic injection, and a full round of additional meds. We fed him via syringe, but Taco became more balky and by Sunday, March 21^st, Taco had bitten both me and my husband so hard that we couldn’t give him anymore liquid medicines (muzzling him became an exercise in avoiding Taco’s teeth).

March 22^nd, he went back to the Vet for more fluids. He seemed to improve, making a poop and even eating a bit more enthusiastically on his own. I found a way to get him to take his pills—a dab of whipped cream cheese worked wonders. On March 23^rd, a friend of mine helped me give him 200 ccs of sub-cu fluids at home to keep his electrolytes in balance. Afterwards, Taco ate shredded boiled chicken and I/D dog food. He pooped again the next day. However, by afternoon on the 24^th, he was refusing most food, except for a couple T/D kibbles.

Today, my friend and I gave him another 200 ccs of sub-cu fluids. His temperature was normal, and his attitude seemed better. He is still reluctant to eat—I have five open cans of special Hills Science Diet dog foods and he only sniffs at them. He ate some kibbles, a bit of I/D and a bit of rice. However, tonight, his gums are pale and tacky, and he’s hunched over again. Instead of letting him sleep with my daughter, I’ve tucked him snugly in his “Happy Place,: a bed in the closet.

My daughter, who is almost 16, asked if maybe we had done the wrong thing by treating his illness—she wanted to know if he is in too much pain and needs to be euthanized. At each stage of this process, I have asked the presiding Vet whether or not we’re trying to treat a dying dog. Each time, I was told he was critical, but not dying. We’ve spent more money on this dog to fight this than I’ve ever spent on one animal, but the problem is that once we started treatment, we were pretty much committed.

Tonight I am concerned we are losing the battle. I have an appointment for Taco in the morning. Plus, I had a long conversation with Taco’s doctor this afternoon, and she was hopeful that his improvement would continue. But his symptoms appear to be worsening. I am not confident that we can save him. Only time will tell.

Squirrels + Dogs = Not a Good Idea

2010-03-12T20:55:00.000-06:00

“Dug” the talking dog in the Pixar loses all focus when it comes to “Squirrels!” And so do my dogs, especially my Miniature Pinscher, Taco. Today I went out in the backyard—it’s Spring here in Houston—and saw Taco sunning himself. Then I realized he was guarding something. His prize?—the back half of a dead squirrel.

Yipes! I rushed into the house for a hunk of leftover rotisserie chicken and performed a bait-and-switch. I got Taco inside, picked up the dead squirrel, and realized that we were missing the head and forequarters. Not to mention the guts. The carcass was cleanly cut and fairly fresh, with red flesh and a white spot of bone. No shreds or tears. I think this squirrel got caught in the community association mowers’ blades or perhaps was a dropped by the big black vultures that take care of the roadkill around here in the Piney Woods.

I scoured the yard, letting Taco out twice. Each time, he led me to more squirrel bits—two piles of guts. It wasn’t a fun job. A little later, the barfing and pooping began. Because it’s Friday and because we’re traveling to my folks this weekend, I decided to take Taco to my Vet. I use VCA (it’s a complicated story for another post), which is a chain vet. My dog’s regular Vet had called in sick, so I had a different doctor.

You know the rest of the story—nothing you can’t throw money at. The first estimate was about $450, including a premium blood panel. The examining doctor was concerned about pancreatitis, but I vetoed that call. Taco has eaten all manner of things in the 10 years I’ve had him and has never had anything worse than a regular gastrointestinal upset. I brought him in to see if we needed to purge his gut, and to find out what prophylactic measures to take against Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection carried by squirrels and threatening to dogs. We settled on a less expensive blood-fecal-urine panel, along with a pain injection (my normally stoic dog was hunched and groaning and certainly not his bossy, nippy self) and then added an anti-nausea injection after he hurked up in the car before we could get out of the parking lot. I have the pain meds from a different visit, and so went home with antiobiotic (Metronidazole) and another drug to slow the loose stools. The bill was about $275 by the time we were done.

Taco is groggy from the pain meds and I’ve stashed him in a crate with comfy blankets. Hopefully, his system will settle down and we'll get a clean report on his bloodwork. We’ll take some Science Diet ID along with us before we put him back on regular food. I’ll touch base with his regular Vet, plus I’ve already talked to a Vet Tech friend just to make sure I wasn’t over-reacting. I suppose I could have played “wait-and-see” but I chose not to do that.

Squirrels are fine for chasing, but not good at all for dogs to snack on.

-*-
Top Photo: "Dug" from the Pixar Movie, "Up"
Bottom: Taco on the prowl for squirrels.

The Volunteer Arms Race of Dedication

2010-03-08T20:59:00.000-06:00

In the 10 years I’ve been doing animal rescue work, I’ve found that disputes and divergences are rampant among the rescue community. Animal rescue work is a highly emotional enterprise, and it attracts tireless, but strongly opinionated people. It’s extremely challenging to get people to sign on to a single course of action—which is why groups tend to splinter and re-splinter as people choose to pursue their own view of what needs to be done.

One core problem we have as volunteers is that we are not affiliated with a 501(c)(3) group. We work as a loose network, with only minimal oversight provided by the County. Registered 501(c)(3) groups do work with the Shelter, but we don’t have a dedicated (privatized) group that runs the Shelter. The County runs the Shelter. The head honcho is a Constable, which gives the entire endeavor a police-law enforcement sort of mentality.

Our volunteers end up in an arms race of dedication—with the pressure to do more and more. This weekend, I was at two events, and was gone from my own dogs from 8:30 a.m. to 9:20 p.m., except for a brief stop to feed and run my own animals.

At the second event, a large off-site event, I did not stay to the bitter end with the Off-Site Coordinator, who still had to oversee the return of about 20 animals to the Shelter, plus finish paperwork. Not mention she had the two or three loads of stinky blankets shoved into her van. My guess is that this volunteer didn’t get home, whereupon she still had to tend to her own foster dogs, wash the dirty blankets, and take care of her own needs. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out she collapsed into bed about 1:00 a.m.

When new people begin doing off-sites, they plunge in full force—one twenty-something man and his girlfriend hauled 12 large dogs to a Wine Festival and adopted 7, with a “promise” from someone to come on Sunday for one of the 4 remaining dogs. The couple expressed amazement that everyone couldn’t have this sort of “success”—after all, the man told me, they took photos of each dog and made up professional flyers for each animal, plus they bathed all their dogs before the event.

I felt like such a slacker—I don’t bathe my Shelter dogs and only make up flyers for my individual fosters. I did keep my mouth shut, though, and didn’t comment on how many dogs might be returned from that event once the festival-attendees lose the glow from their wine-tasting.

Between the volunteers who bathe and haul, the ones who spend hundreds of dollars out their own pockets to provide outside veterinarian care for the Shelter dogs, the ones who hijack their family’s bathtubs and fill them with newborn puppies, and the ones who create “kitten hotels” in their spare bedrooms, we aren’t lacking for dedication. But sometimes I wonder if our volunteer work is actually hurting more than it helps.

Certainly the animals benefit, but one fact remains: no matter how much we do as volunteers, the dogs and cats, puppies and kittens keep coming in to the Shelter. Our local Craigslist brims with animals up for sale or re-homing. Backyard breeders park their pickups on busy roadsides and offer purebred puppies for sale. We have a “Puppy Store” in the area and another pet store that sells puppies and kittens in the local shopping mall. Our newspapers are chock full of classified ads peddling animals.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep plugging along—I may not bathe the big dogs I haul to Off-Site Events, and I don’t take home litters of puppies to nurse along, but I’m in this for the long haul. Pacing myself is the key.

Home Safe!

2010-03-03T18:58:00.001-06:00

Home Safe!
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

My parents found their youngest Chihuahua this afternoon, about a city block (although they live in the country) from their house, hiding under an shed's risers near a neighbor's pool.

The neighbor saw her as she was trying to warm herself on the pool deck and called my folks. Megan Marie darted back under the shed but came out when my Mom got own and called her.

She was stinky but in good health and spirits. My parents are so relieved.

When searching for your lost dog, you need to consider widening the distance in blocks (or miles) you will search for your animal. This tiny Chihuahua was about a quarter mile from my parents and roamed even further, based on sightings by neighbors.

I made a flyer for my parents, using the triptych collage photo featured in the previous post about this dog. My folks submitted the flyer to their neighborhood association website, which featured it prominently on the site's front page, with the header "Have You Seen This Dog?"

I encouraged my folks to talk to EVERYONE in their neighborhood, and to give them the flyer. My folks received word about sightings of the dog within hours and the man who found her had seen the flyer, plus talked to my Dad the day Megan Marie got lost.

Not all "lost dog" stories have happy endings, but I'm sure glad this one did!

My Mom's Lost Chihuahua

2010-03-01T20:41:00.001-06:00

My Mom's Lost Chihuahua!
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

This is Megan Marie. She is a one-year-old tan or light brown Chihuahua. She got out from my Mom's house, this morning, March 1st and hasn't been found yet. My folks have worn themselves out looking for her.

My folks live in Spring Branch, Texas. Their subdivision, Whispering Hills, is on Texas 46, just across the street from Smithson Valley High School.

Megan Marie didn't have on a collar, but is microchipped. She is a typical skittish Chi.

This is a good time to remind all pet lovers to take and keep handy up-to-date photos of your pets. I had more photos (and these are not the best for ID purposes) than my folks.

I recommend that you take a head shot, and body shots from each side, with good lighting and few background distractions.

I used this collaged photo (made in Picnik) as the focal point of a Lost Dog flyer I mailed and emailed to my folks. A lost or missing dog is every owner's nightmare. I see the anguish on people's faces every day I'm at the Shelter.

"Killer" Whales vs. "Aggressive" Dogs

2010-02-26T22:27:00.000-06:00

By now you've heard the news reports or read the stories about the trainer who was dragged to her death by an adult Orca Whale at the Orlando Sea World earlier this week. I was flipping through my paperwork from last year, and came across a photo of a Shelter dog that was euthanized due to intensifying agression, and I found myself wondering about the differences between Orca whales and dogs.

Tilikum, the 12,000 pound, mature, alpha male Orca whale, has been involved in three human deaths--although one of the incidents is based on circumstantial evidence. According to the Los Angeles Times, Sea World officials "said they intended to continue using Tilikum -- who delights audiences with outsized splashes -- in its performances.

The article quoted SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment President Jim Atchison, who told reporters that Tilikum has been "a part of our team and he will remain a part of our team." Removing Tilikum from shows "would be a shame," he said.

Atchison also said, "This is really a wonderful animal and his participation in our shows, his engagement in our interactions and so forth is very important to his overall health and husbandry." This particular Orca whale has been a foundation breeder for the Sea World Orca Whale Program.

The dog pictured above, Billie Jean, is one of our "failures." She spent months in the adoption room, without enough exercise or training. She was adopted and/or fostered several times (three times that I know of) and was involved in an incident where she bit her handler while lunging at another dog. The solution to Billie Jean's aggression? Euthanization.

The solution to Tilikum's "aggression"? New training protocols, according to news reports.

The contrast between attitudes--the ease by which we euthanize dogs that have bitten, maimed (let alone killed) a human--and attitude of the Sea World officials toward their expensive (and very dangerous) Orca whale are striking. I realize that Orca whales are endangered, intelligent wild animals. I realize that dogs live in much closer proximity to humans than do most Orca whales. Still, I can't shake the feeling that we have different standards in effect. I guess it's better to be a "killer whale" than an "aggressive dog."

Peaches Found a Home

2010-02-23T19:18:00.000-06:00

My little BYB mama dog Chihuahua, Peaches, has found a home--with a retired couple from Missouri who winter around the "warmer" South in their motor home (I saw on the weather forecast that it was snowing in Kerrville, their next motor home stop!). Peaches' new Mom has sent along several email updates, and I'm pleased to report that Peaches has learned to walk on a leash to do her potty business, and she is quickly transferring her bond to her new people. Peaches even has a doggy buddy to boss around (Queen Bee dog that she is), a sweet-natured puppy mill rescue Japanese Chin named "Cappie." Peaches new family has always had "second-hand dogs" and Peaches has big paws to fill--they recently lost their beloved "Chula," another puppy mill Chihuahua mama dog. Peaches' new mom told me that she believes her dear Chula was nudging her from Dog Heaven to visit the particular PetsMart where I was doing an off-site with Peaches.

I'll miss my sweet love bug Peaches, but I'm sure I'll be getting regular updates! As my daughter says, now it's time for me to go get another "new best friend."

Overheard at the Shelter's Front Desk

2010-02-23T08:17:00.000-06:00

Some Things I Wish Our Clients Knew

2010-01-07T07:44:00.000-06:00

I answered the phones yesterday afternoon at the Shelter. I am a volunteer, not a County employee. We had a particularly challenging run of clients, on the phones and in the lines at the clinic front desk.

Here are some things I wish our clients knew:

1. The County does not provide comprehensive veterinarian services. Our "clinic" is to a Vet's office as the Redi-Clinic at the grocery store is to a primary care doctor, with even more limitations. We dispense shots at low-cost as a courtesy service to residents. We dispense a variety of medicines to our adopters to combat symptoms of illnesses in recently adopted or fostered animals. We do not have any way to offer bloodwork, full exams, or even fecal smears. We aren't deliberately trying to deny your animal services, it's just not feasible.

2. The Shelter is not a Pet Store. We rarely have full tabs on our "inventory." Even if I have done a complete walk-through, I cannot accurately say whether we have any Pomeranians, Yorkies or Siamese cats. The facility covers nearly an acre, with at least 80 dogs in each of the three adoption rooms. There are approximately 500-600 animals--cats, dogs, puppies, and kittens--in our system at any time. The only thing I can recommend to phone shoppers is to visit us.

3. Unfortunately, I cannot help you find your lost pet over the phone. I cannot put you on hold and go look for your black and white cat--we probably have at least 20 black and white cats. Nor can I leave the phone and go look for your Lab mix. We have three hundred Lab mixes. You need to come to the Shelter personally, preferably with a couple good photos of your pet, and do a full walk-through with a staff person or volunteer. You also need to know that we are not the only animal facility in the area. Trying to find a lost pet is a frustrating task that requires you to do on-site visits. If you pet is lost, YOU have to be the advocate.

4. If you adopted or fostered an animal from us, or if you are interested in a particular animal, please, please have the paperwork in front you when you call. I can help you better if you have the animal's ID number, which is sometimes called a kennel number. It is on your paperwork and it is displayed on the kennels. Names change, genders are entered incorrectly, and the computer will only access an animal by its ID number.

5. I DO care about our animals. I am not trying to avoid serving you. However, I rarely have the answer to any question more complicated that our address right at my fingertips. Please be patient, and know that I am doing my best when I say, "Good afternoon, Montgomery County Animal Shelter."

Atticus Unchained

2010-01-06T17:30:00.001-06:00

Atticus Unchained
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

Atticus is going home--to a new home, a forever home. Removed from the Shelter, after facing certain death to severe decline (see "Saving Atticus," September 11, 2009), Atticus is on his way from Houston to a new home in upstate New York.

He joined a convoy of 90 animals, mostly Labradors and Lab mixes, bound from Texas, where the hunting culture produces untold numbers of Lab puppies, to the Northern U.S., where Labs are in high demand but rare in shelters. He'll be adopted by a family who has been thoroughly interviewed, and who will pay a fee that covers his transportation costs.

Here in Texas, Atticus will be greatly missed by his foster Mom and her Husky, Togo. During his confinement for heartworm treatment, Atticus blossomed, gaining weight, growing sleek, and regaining the loving gleam in his eye. He is everything that people adore about Labs: shiny, sturdy, friendly and eager to please. He will be missed by those of us who saw the diamond personality hidden under his dull sooty coat as he hunkered, hacking and shivering, in a dank kennel, but we know he'll find the love and good care that he so much deserves.

Godspeed, Atticus!

-*-
Artwork by C. B.

11 Foster Dogs in 2009

2009-12-31T20:57:00.001-06:00

I had 11 foster dogs in 2009--dogs I took home from the Shelter and kept until I found them a new home. This total does not include my "over-nighters"--dogs who came home with me from an off-site and who then went back to an off-site or to a rescue group. Nor does this include my "project" dogs such as "JoJo" (the pit bull) or "Riley" the Australian Cattle Dog. I've lost count of the dogs I've taken out again and again, or the ones who I kept tabs on until they were adopted.

I'm looking forward to helping more dogs, one at a time, in 2010, including "Peaches," who is looking for her own loving forever home!

Have a Happy and Safe New Year

Chihuahuas Multiply in Shelters

2009-12-30T18:33:00.000-06:00

According to the Los Angeles Times blog, “LA Unleashed,” there has been a sharp increase of Chihuahuas entering California animal shelters. The increase is being blamed, in part, on the long-term pop culture status of these feisty little dogs—from Paris Hilton’s pocket pooch, “Tinkerbell,” to the saucy, lately departed “Gidget,” who played the Taco Bell Dog who snarled, “Yo Quiero Taco Bell!” during the wildly popular Taco Bell commercials of the early 2000s.

I don’t have statistics for our Shelter here in Metro Houston, but Chihuahuas arrive, in various sizes and temperaments, on a regular basis. Recently, we received four Chihuahuas which were surrendered by their owners because the owners claimed, “We aren’t making money with these dogs anymore.”

One of those dogs, “Peaches,” the matriarch breeder Chihuahua, is sitting on my lap as I write this entry. We’re at my Mom’s house in Spring Branch, TX, which is a virtual “Chihuahua Ranch” since my Mom has three Chihuahuas (plus my very first ever foster dog, a Jack Russell mix).

“Peaches” has overcome her fear to exhibit her true Chihuahua nature—she is snippy, bossy, needy, and exceedingly cute as she prances along, thrilled with her new life as a “Queen of the Lap Dogs.” Her very nature—her tendency to snap if she feels threatened, her prancy gait, and her radar-quick prick ears, are hall-marks of the breed’s character.

I grew up with my Mom’s Chihuahuas—we’re in the fourth generation of dogs (none are related)--and while I am a small dog fan, I rarely recommend Chihuahuas to my adopters.

These are high-maintenance dogs—their tiny tummies do best with several small meals, they have are horrifically difficult to housebreak (so you’ll be cleaning up tiddle spots and poops around the house) and they are noisy, noisy, noisy. Of course, they love to snuggle, they have kissable little, round heads, and they fit perfectly in your arms.

Still, I don’t recommend them to most of my adopters. Chihuahuas aren’t great with little kids. They are fragile and nippy. They chew up everything they can get in their mouths. And if your Chihuahua eats a packet of M&Ms, you’ll be making a vet visit to have its tummy pumped.

We get lots of Chihuahuas in the Shelter. Many come in with confirmation issues—overbites, underbites, hip problems, splayed feet, weird body shapes and eye problems. The Chi-Weenies (the Designer Dog cross of Chihuahuas with Dachshunds) aren’t any better, in spite of the “thumbs up” given by the Animal Planet show, “Dogs 101.” The ones we get at the Shelter tend to be wildly long in the back, with bad teeth, temperament issues aside.

All that said, my little foster girl, “Peaches,” is going to make some Chihuahua-savvy person an awesome pet. She’s a very perky, pretty girl (in spite of her overbite and bad teeth) and is a snug-bug who is easy to sleep with (yes, I let her sleep in bed with me—it’s almost unheard of to banish a Chihuahua pet from your bed!) Right now, “Peaches” thinks she’s going to stay with me, but on January 2nd, she’ll be at a foster-dog event in search of an owner who will give her the life she deserves.

What do you think about these attractive little diva-dogs? Let me know in the comments!

Puppy Mill Chihuahua Mama

2009-12-19T15:57:00.000-06:00

My 11th foster dog for 2009: a tiny Chihuahua girl who was a puppy mill breeder mama. She was one of four back yard breeder dogs turned into the Shelter last week. When does a "back yard breeder" become a "puppy mill breeder"?--well, in my mind, it's when the owner surrender form states: "We had these dogs only for breeding for top dollar puppies. We no longer make money with these dogs and are moving."

I don't know how the intake person who handled this "surrender" could keep calm. I think I would have gone ballistic. There were three females and one male. Three of the chihuahuas had horrible confirmation--long, skinny backs, outward-turned paws and weak mouths. The mama, named "Peaches," by her owners (although she doesn't appear to answer to the name) came with me. Peaches has an overall good body type, adorable markings, including a kissy spot of white on top of her round apple head, tiny ears and a peach-colored coat, but she has a severe underbite, crooked lower teeth and her ankles have fallen so far they nearly touch the ground. The ankle issue is probably a by-product of spending a life in a wire cage.

All the dogs were nearly feral, with poor socialization. This mama dog was not producing puppies for her owners because when the Shelter vet did the spay operation, the poor dog's uterus was filled with pus from a horrible infection. The Shelter vet did a full hysterectomy and gave her an antibiotic shot. I have started Peaches on Clavamox and have give her some Tramodol leftover from when my little dog got bit up by the Jack Russell foster (that happened in April).

Peaches nommed hard on my index finger put of fear yesterday while I was putting a harness on her, but she seems a bit less terrified today. Picking her up without a fuss is impossible, of course, but she did eat some boiled chicken out of my hand. She is probably not housebroken, but has piddled on the pee-pee pad.

While I was taking care of Peaches' paperwork, the dispatcher came in to say that one of the Animal Control officers was bringing in 10 Rat Terriers from a hoarding situation where there were at least 40 dogs. The Shelter is stuffed with dogs, and we're not really set up to handle these special cases. If you live in the Houston area, and would like to foster a special needs dog, please leave me a comment or visit the Montgomery County Texas Animal Shelter website, http://www.montgomerycountypets.com/. I'll be posting updates about "Peaches" and her kennel-mates.

Back in the Saddle

2009-12-18T14:47:00.000-06:00

After taking time off in October and November from dog rescue work to support my 10th grade marching band student, I am now back to hosting foster dogs and working at Off-Site Adoption events in Montgomery County, Texas.

I did an off-site event in early December, and came home with a new foster dog, a sweet, pretty little terrier mix female. She had kennel cough, tapeworms and roundworms, but after 10 days of medicine, she was regaining her spirit. I found her home—a friend overheard me talking about the dog when things were still touch and go (she wouldn’t eat for the first two days I had her) and on December 12th, “Felicity” (as I had named her) went to her new home. Today, I met her new owner at the Shelter and we got the dog her rabies shot and microchip. Unfortunately, she turned out to be mildly heartworm positive, but will do fine being on a monthly dose of Heartguard. The neat thing about this adoption is that I’ll be able to check up on “Felicity” in the future!

Currently the Shelter is overflowing with animals. We’re having a late-season influx of puppies and kittens, and have received many owner-surrendered pets. We have hundreds of adoptable animals—cats, dogs, puppies and kittens. Many animals are available through special holiday adoption programs. For more information for adoptions in the North Houston, TX, area (North Harris County and Montgomery County) visit the Montgomery County, Texas, Animal Shelter website at http://www.montgomerycountypets.com/

Altar to Honor Shelter Dogs

2009-11-03T15:09:00.000-06:00

Dias de Los Muertos 2009

2009-11-03T15:08:00.001-06:00

Dias de Los Muertos 2009
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

I have been making yearly altars for Dias de los Muertos since the early 1980s. This year's offrenda honors my Shelter dogs who have crossed the rainbow bridge: Queeny, a Queensland Heeler girl who died of distemper, and JoJo, a fawn pit bull boy who had to be euthanized due to aggression.

Although this altar is dedicated to two individual Shelter dogs, it is also a memorial for all the millions of dogs euthanized or killed each year in American animal shelters.

This altar features most of the traditional elements, including marigolds, religious items, representations of the dogs, candles and a dog dish full of Milkbone biscuits. The collar contains tags recalling my various foster dogs for 2009, including the dogs which I have placed in new homes. The small clay muerto dog is from Mexico, while the cloth painted dog is my own creation.

This year, I purchased a new piece of oil cloth and a lovely cotton runner from Casa Ramirez in the Houston Heights. This family-owned hub of Mexican culture hosts a yearly Dias de Los Muertos procession.

Shelter Dogs Head to Aggieland

2009-10-16T07:55:00.000-05:00

Texans take their college rivalries seriously—the faithful alumni “bleed” orange (UT Longhorns), maroon (Texas A&M), or scarlet (Texas Tech). We have slogans with hand signals: Hook ‘em Horns; Gig ‘em, and Guns Up! Our mascots are animals: Bevo the brown and white Longhorn, Reveille the collie (who is the highest ranking Cadet), and Midnight Matador the coal black quarter horse (ridden by the Masked Rider). And a “House Divided” is one where one child attends A&M and the other attends Texas Tech.

My son is a junior at Texas Tech, but I have to give a big kudos to those Texas Aggies. Yesterday, our Shelter embarked on a new program—thanks to the connections of our Off-Site Adoption Team Leader—we are sending the first round of 10 female dogs to the Vet School at Texas A&M in College Station (70 miles north of our Shelter) where the dogs will be fully vetted and spayed as part of the school’s hands-on training program. If not adopted by the students or staff in Aggieland, the dogs will be returned to our Shelter, where we will find them homes. The University covers the costs for all aspects of their involvement.

I spent yesterday at the Shelter, helping Dr. Ryan, our Director and Veternarian select and prep the dogs. We focused on adoptable dogs from the Blue Room. We also tried to select a mix of fairly healthy dogs in order to boost their chances for placement through their exposure at the University . This task was harder than it sounds.

We have mostly Black Lab mixes, and many of our dogs are badly infected by mange. Others are heartworm positive. And a disturbing number of our current dogs are heavily pregnant. While we crouched in front of the kennels—me holding the quivering dogs while Dr. Ryan pulled the blood samples for the SNAP heartworm tests—a stoic American Staffordshire was giving birth to a litter of puppies in a kennel shrouded with a blanket to give the birthing mom a little privacy.

When I peeked in on the dog, she had eight tiny puppies of all different colors, each about the size and just as floppy as Beanie Babies. She was licking the tiny pups clean of afterbirth and gave me a serious eye.

Meanwhile, we worked up kennel cards for each of our 10 females—we did the heartworm tests and gave vaccinations, and in some cases gave names to dogs that had none. An air-conditioned van will come from the University to fetch the dogs and those who aren’t selected by adopters will be returned next week. Small medical complaints will have been addressed and the dogs will be clean and well-rested, and the next 10 dogs will head out to College Station. Meanwhile, we now have 10 slots in the Blue Room for new dogs. This is a good thing because we’re overloaded with incoming animals.

So to the Vets at Aggieland, I gladly give a “Guns Up!” Thanks, Aggies, for giving our dogs a second chance!

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Photos of Texas College Mascots courtesy of the Interwebs

This Time “Girl” Deserves a Real Home

2009-10-01T15:03:00.000-05:00

I remember when “Girl” arrived at the Shelter. She is a hound mix, with a docked tail and butterscotch colored spots. An owner-surrender, “Girl” was quickly adopted because she was healthy, well behaved, and housebroken.

However, two weeks ago, she was returned to the Shelter in horrible shape. Now skin issues are very common here in humid Southeast Texas (I’m battling rough spots on my Miniature Pinscher’s ear right now with a steroid cream). But “Girl” is red and raw all over. Click on the photo to see the rawness on her ears, elbows, hindquarters and inner legs.

How on earth can someone let a dog get to this point? Can they just not see her discomfort? Her raw skin and the bloody red scratches? This is mange complicated by secondary infection.

“Girl” is being treated at the Shelter, and we’re hoping to get her into a foster home so she can recover more quickly. She’s made tremendous strides in just two weeks. The Shelter Vet estimates “Girl” needs another month before she’ll be ready for adoption. Amazingly, her spirit hasn’t been crushed. “Girl” is a sweet dog, who craves attention. She deserves far better than she’s had.

In the chaos of the Intake line, there is no telling what happened to the former adopters—at this point, the County doesn’t allocate much in the way of resources to prosecute animal cases like this. The Shelter volunteers have rallied around “Girl,” and we’re going to make sure that t once “Girl” is out of the shelter that she never goes back.

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Photo by Linda Monk.

How Some Things End

2009-09-17T19:38:00.000-05:00

On September 16, 2009, JoJo, a three-year-old fawn American Pit Bull Terrier was euthanized, thus ending a dog’s life. He lived long enough to touch the hearts of several people in the Shelter, entering the system on January 30, 2009 as a stray. JoJo’s dog-on-dog aggressiveness was his undoing. His Pit Bull bloodlines were a liability. His unknown background and experiences were a hindrance. But the spirit in his dog heart remains, burning pure and bright, flickering as a reminder that as human we pay for our hubris in the deaths of dogs deemed unsafe.

I drew the portrait on myWacom tablet. I’m still a beginner with this tool, so don’t know how to blend the colors yet. JoJo’s spirit rests easier now, even if mine doesn’t.

The Pit Bull Blues

2009-09-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

I've got the Pit Bull Blues, oh yeah.

For those of you who have been following this blog, you may recall previous posts about a Shelter dog named JoJo, an American Pit Bull Terrier (pictured as he looked on Saturday). JoJo is a fawn-colored 3-year-old male dog who I placed in an APBT-savvy foster home in mid-April. Late last week, Ms. A., the foster, called me to regretfully report that JoJo has become increasingly dog-on-dog aggressive.

Ms. A. explained that JoJo had instigated four separate attacks, including one that injured her own female pit bull (puncture bites on the dog’s neck, and half an ear tip torn off). In the first attack, JoJo charged an (alleged) Gotti line pit bull belonging to a neighbor, pinning the dog to the ground. Ms. A. did not witness this attack as it occurred while her high school age son had JoJo in the front yard. No one was hurt. The third attack came when JoJo harassed a mastiff by biting down on the dog’s snout. Both dogs suffered minor face punctures.

The forth attack came while Ms. A. was walking JoJo on leash on a path. Another dog of a similar size (but not a pit bull) approached (on leash with its owner), so Ms. A. pulled JoJo onto the grass median, and worked to keep his attention off of the approaching dog. Ms. A. isn’t sure if she tripped or if JoJo tripped her, but she lost hold of the leash and charged the a mix-breed dog on the walking path, pinning and clamping down on this dog by one hind leg. Ms. A. was able to pull JoJo off and neither animal was injured, but the other dog’s owner was badly frightened by the swiftness of the attack.

As JoJo has regained weight and strength (he was in bad shape when he left the Shelter in April), Ms. A. said he became increasingly dog-focused—straining toward and staring down dogs his size or bigger. When he launches an attack, JoJo does not growl, bark, or raise his hackles. He just fixes a hard stare, whines deeply in his throat, lowers his head and prepares to launch. Another dog need not even act in an agressive way to prompt this.

I witnessed this personally on Saturday morning, when I met JoJo and Ms. A. at the Shelter. We were waiting for the staff person to locate JoJo’s records, and were seated in two chairs, with JoJo sitting calmly beside us. Ms. A. had JoJo’s leash tight and I had one hand on JoJo’s collar. Someone walked another dog by, and I felt JoJo’s body tighten. His head dropped, neck extended and I felt the intensity building in his body. I’ve seen this intensituy before in a dog--in my 17-pound Miniature Pinscher, when he’s got a freshly killed rat. It’s a whole different thing to see it in a 70-pound, muscular, young dog. Ms. A. shook JoJo out of and got his attention to focus on her. I suddenly realized that JoJo is what the dog-fighters call “game.”

We went with the Shelter Director, Dr. Ryan, into one of the offices and Ms. A. outlined the nature of the attacks. Ms. A. did not feel that JoJo could be safely adopted. We were both in front of Dr. Ryan because we knew that the reality is that JoJo needed to be euthanized.

The Shelter does not have the time or resources to retrain one dog, especially a Pit Bull. I’m not knocking the breed, but it is challenging enough to find homes for the Pit Bulls and Pit mixes already in the Adoption Room. And JoJo had a bad track record.

Dr. Ryan explained that every dog deserves a fair evaluation and she wanted JoJo to be seen by Mr. G., our Shelter’s dog trainer. However, Mr. G. and I had already spoken about JoJo, and Mr. G. was already familiar with the dog from his time in the Shelter. Mr. G. has rehabbed several Pit Bulls in his private business, but the rehabilitation (regardless of what Cesar Milan might say) often means life at Spindletop, one the few APBT/Bully breed Sanctuaries in our part of Texas. And Spindletop is expensive and has a waiting list.

“If I had six or eight months to devote just to him, maybe I could change the behavior,” Mr. G. said, “but no matter what we could never fully trust him.”

Ms. A. and I had already taken JoJo on a good long walk. I had hugged him and let him kiss me—he seemed to remember me—and took a dozen photos. We turned the leash over to the Quarantine Room staff person, a man who also remembers when JoJo was in the Shelter. He led the dog away. I hate losing a dog this way.

I stopped by the Shelter today, but JoJo’s fate remains up in the air. He is being held in a Quarantine Kennel, awaiting an evaluation from Mr. G. But Mr. G. feels that the Shelter Director is trying to forestall the inevitable. He had a good life, as his foster said, for several months.

We don’t have the resources for a dog like JoJo. And now, he’s in limbo. I realize the Shelter Director has a veterinarian’s viewpoint—save the dog if it’s at all humanly possible. But I can’t hardly bear to think of JoJo in the Quarantine room. It is also the E.U. (Euthanization) Room, and it must reek of Death.

I will post an update on JoJo as soon as possible.

What's Not to Love?

2009-09-12T08:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a sampling of the dogs available now at the Montgomery County, Texas, Animal Selter. From left to right: 1) "Dudley" #A112614: A spunky senior red Dachshund mix male with soft curly fur and a pudgy body that makes you think, "There's a Milk Dud!" Obviously well-fed, he is an owner surrender. 2)"Riley: #A114398. That typical Heeler quirkiness is evident on "Riley's" face. This young Blue Heeler boy is wicked smart and needs a day-job. 3) "Willis" #A11835 has the "Benji" look on a taller, lean body. He needs some groceries to fill him out, but he's still a smallish dog, about the size of a foxhound, with wheat-colored wiry, terrier hair and stylishly pricked ears. What's not to love about these dogs? Check them out at The MCAS website.

Saving Atticus

2009-09-11T21:29:00.000-05:00

I don’t normally do rescue transport—I spend more time doing commuter hauling of Shelter dogs to and from Off-sites. But on Wednesday, I stepped in to help an older Black Labrador get out of the Shelter and into a safe house. His Shelter name was “Lassoe” but now he bears the more dignified moniker of “Atticus,” short for Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird renown.

I’d already had a long day--working an Off-site at PetsMart for the company’s “Second Chance at Love” promotion, although none of my five Shelter dogs got a second chance that day due to rain and other unknown factors. After turning over my shift at 3:15 p.m., I went to the High School to pick up my daughter, who ended up shanghaied for the ride to the Shelter and beyond. She was cranky about this disruption in her schedule, but if Atticus didn’t get to the kennel by 6:00 p.m. (It was now 4:30 p.m.) he would miss his appointment at the Vet’s, scheduled or the next day. Lab-to-Rescue, a local group, had agreed to take him into their program, but we had to do the transport.

Atticus was in the Blue room, with the word “DESPERATE” scrawled across his kennel card. He had worms and mange, and was severely underweight. But his tail never stopped wagging as I snapped on a leash and led him out to my van.

Riding loose in the rear seat didn’t work—Atticus is a shot-gun riding dog—so we had to stop and swap my 15-year-old (who was rather sulky about all this) to the back seat. I drove for 40 minutes in rain and rush-hour traffic to get to a kennel that works with rescue groups, stopping once at a gas station to let my daughter get a Snapple (bribery—yes). I walked Atticus, and this old dog still has some hunt left in him—a flock of grackles streaked across the cloudy sky and Atticus snapped to attention, his head raised, eyes gleaming. Even sick and emaciated, the old dog still has that Lab joie de vivre! What a trouper!

Back on the road, we made it to Strawberry Dog, the kennel, in time to settle Atticus in a crate. And we made it home safe, which is a miracle in itself—Houston area roads are horrible during rainy weather. I learned today that Atticus has received his first round of meds from the vet. When he is fully healthy, this senior Lab, who is clearly a retired hunting dog, will be taken up north to New England, where he’ll be placed in a carefully selected home to live out the rest of his days. I hope whoever ends up with Atticus appreciates this true Southern gentleman.

Rusty Found a Home

2009-09-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

Rusty, my little stag red miniature pinscher foster, with me since May 23rd, found a home on Labor Day, Monday, September 5th. He was with me all summer because he came to me heartworm positive, and it was awhile before we could start the treatment, followed by a month of crate rest. I didn't take to many events in August because we were busy getting my kids back to school.

Beginning Saturday, I took Rusty to three different Off-Site events over the long weekend, and was willing to hang onto him as long as it took to find the right match. I definitely wanted him to go with people who understand (and adore) min-pins. He attracted a lot of attention, but nothing seemed to click. Then a woman who had been looking for a min-pin to replace one she had owned years back saw him. She has an 11-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy, plus her husband. Rusty appears to be good with kids, and he’s not nippy, so I hope it works out.

I had a good feeling about this adoption, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m going to call tomorrow to see how Rusty’s doing. I told the woman if she changes her mind, even after the 7-day-return policy (our Shelter has revised the policy, reducing the time from 10 days) to call me first. Rusty will not ever go back to the Shelter if I can prevent it.

I miss him so much. I had another foster over the holiday weekend,too, a needy little whippet mix girl who found a home on Tuesday. My dogs are very happy to have the house to themselves for awhile. My husband is happier too—he’s not that big on having fosters, although I know he really did like Rusty.

I can’t keep every dog, so that’s how it goes.

Full Moon From a Backyard Breeder

2009-09-05T19:15:00.000-05:00

I have been away from Off-Site Adoptions and the Shelter for about two weeks—thus the absence of posts since I don’t like to depend on filler posts—but I went to an Off-Site today and came home with a heckuva story!

We had a Foster-only event at Natural Pawz, a locally owned pet boutique located in a small shopping center fronting a busy highway in Tomball. I was there with my min-pin foster dog, Rusty. The shop’s manager, Ms. C., noticed a guy selling lab mix puppies out of the back of his pickup truck on a driveway next to the center. Natural Pawz had displayed a big, professional sign promoting “Dog Adoptions on Saturday,” and passing traffic wouldn’t know that the Backyard Breeder wasn’t part of our event. Ms. C. went out to tell the man that he should move, but he insisted he was parked on his property. Ms. C. called her landlord, who doubted this claim.

The store clerk asked me to accompany her outside because the landlord wanted her to take a photo of the man’s truck and license plate. I walked over to the truck with her, and at our approach, a potential client (a woman with two kids) hurriedly got into her car. Ms. C. had a small digital camera, and confidently snapped photos of the guy’s truck, the big magnetic sign advertising his Gutter business and then she walked around to get a shot of the back end (with a crate full of what appeared to be lab puppies) to take a shot of the license plate. The guy, a ruddy, salt-and-pepper grey haired fellow wearing a tee-shirt and baggy plaid shorts got irritated (naturally) and insisted he was on his property and could do what he wanted.

Ms. C. aimed her digital camera at the license plate on the rear end of the truck. Mr. Backyard Breeder smirked, hitched his belt with his hands, then swiveled, yanking down his shorts to expose a very white rear. Ms. C. calmly took the photo—but alas, the license plate, as you can see, is obscured by a full moon.

Still smirking the guy repeated that he owned the property. Ms. C. pivoted and we both walked away. “That photo will be just great when the county sheriff sees it,” I said to the man. He didn’t bother with a reply nor did he make any move to pack up. Shaken by the brazenness, not to mention the affront of being treated to a guy’s bare butt, we hurried back into the shop. I suggested that now would be a good time to call the police.

By the time the Tomball, TX, police officer arrived, Mr. Backyard Breeder had decided it would be in his best interest to pack up his puppy operation for the day. I gave the officer the information, including the guy’s business name and phone (captured clearly on the digital camera) and showed her the evidence of the full moon. The officer laughed and said, “I saw your call on my list and figured I needed to hear about this one.” Of course, she could do nothing since the guy had left, but she assured us that if he showed up elsewhere, this information—including his act of public exposure—could be retrieved.

As a public service, then, I present the full moon in progress (pixelated in the appropriate areas for decency's sake), complete with puppies in the background. Ms. C. said she posted the guy’s business name and phone number on a local dog rescue site with the note to avoid giving the man business.

What I Do When I'm Not With My Dogs

2009-09-01T19:46:00.001-05:00

Band Mom 2009
Originally uploaded by Calsidyrose

I'm a "Band Mom" with a Sophmore French Horn player in the TWHS Highlander Marching Band. I chaperone the students on the school buses to their games and take lots of photos.

I'm still doing my "Dog Lady" work, but have had to scale back a bit to get my high-maintenance 15-year-old daughter started back in school.

Our Shelter will be participating in the "Second Chance at Love" event, hosted by PetsMart (it's a Nation-wide event) beginning Labor Day.

I still have "Rusty," my min-pin foster boy. He wants everyone to know he's looking for his own home!